 Mike is a 737 pilot for a major airline but he downplays it by calling himself a ‘glorified bus driver’. His primary identity is as a servant of the Lord. He currently is the leader of the ‘Global Outreach’ department of his church where he recently led a team of volunteers to Africa’s poorest country (Burkina Faso) to help construct housing for ministry students at a Bible college.
Mike was not always radical for God. He grew up in Texas (he has been forgiven) where he and his brother used to fight constantly. On one occasion, a fight on the family’s front lawn got so bad that a Christian neighbor stepped in to intervene fearing that they actually might do each other real harm. The neighbor then invited them to begin attending a local youth group where Mike learned of his need to be born again as a follower of Jesus. He gave his heart to the Lord and his whole life began to dramatically change. He went from a lost teenager on a collision course with a Christless eternity to a young man with purpose and direction. His salvation eventually opened the door for others of his family to put their faith in Jesus for themselves. His father (who has since gone to heaven) and his mother both became faithful and dedicated followers of Jesus largely as a result of Mike’s transformed life.
Mike later went to business school and then to Bible College where he became involved in overseas mission work in Jamaica where he learned to trust in the Lord’s leading through many trials and tribulations including; having the team’s gear stolen, and having to eat only bananas because all of their food money had been stolen. He learned how to duck gunfire and even to pray for a young drowning victim who was literally raised from the dead by the power of God working through their prayer.
Mike married someone who is just as wild and crazy for Jesus as he is and together they had five kids who are all going forward in the Lord with their own faith. They established their home with the understanding that they live to serve the Lord and all their time, energy and resources are at his disposal. One day this was tested in a unique way...
A young couple from Central America had recently moved to their town and was attending their church. The man had applied for and been given a job but couldn’t get to it for lack of transportation. The couple had shared in a prayer meeting that they were in need of a car. Mike and his wife felt that the Lord was nudging them to give him THEIR car. They prayed about it and both agreed to do just that. By the way, this was not their ‘extra’ car. It was their ONLY car. Mike spent the next couple of weeks hitchhiking to the airport with his flight uniform in a bag. He would get to the airport, change into his uniform, do the flight, change back into his street clothes and hitchhike home. Eventually, they were able to get another vehicle and he could return to a more ‘normal’ commute.
Mike and his family moved to a so-called ‘bad’ neighborhood so that they could minister the gospel to the people in the community. They regularly bought groceries for their neighbors and sometimes paid for utility bills when people were about to be disconnected. They opened their home up for bible studies and invited the neighbors to join them. Mike was a regular fixture downtown passing out gospel literature on the streets. They helped numerous kids out of the gang lifestyle. At one point Mike was involved in a ministry, which held a weekly Bible study in an Alaska Native village. He and his friends were nearly killed one night in a very scary incident where the plane’s wing smashed into a barrel filled with concrete on takeoff.
Eventually the family joined a church planting team in Japan where they ministered the gospel with great effectiveness. Some thought Mike was crazy to give up his flying career to go overseas. Mike said, “Sharing the gospel is what I do. Flying is just a way to make a living.” By the time they eventually felt led to leave Japan and go back to America, they had dozens of Japanese people literally weeping at their departure and making the trip to Narita Airport to see them off.
Mike has since resumed his flying career and also teaches flying at a flight school that he is part owner of. He still looks at his job as just a ‘glorified bus driver’ and sees his job as just a way to make a living so that he can ‘Do more of what he does’- namely, share the gospel. If you ask him real nice, he might take you flying some time. If he does, you had better make it clear that you are already saved and a follower of Jesus. If you are not, he has a little thing he likes to call the ‘get saved NOW maneuver’. It is quite effective- just ask Mike’s brother- he found out ALL about it one day! He is still trying to perfect it. (People generally call out to the Lord and repent of their sins during the maneuver, but the effect has a tendency to wear off soon after landing. It needs just a little more work to get it right.)
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