The Heavy-Duty Mike Podcast

The Heavy Duty Mike Podcast focuses on helping followers of Jesus cultivate a meaningful and authentic relationship with the Word of God—the Bible. But wait, what about the name—The Heavy Duty Mike podcast? This doesn’t sound very ministry-focused, right?  Well, I’m glad you asked. The name—Heavy Duty Mike—comes from the nearly twenty years I spent working in the heavy-duty diesel and transport refrigeration industry. While the trades were not my initial career pursuit upon graduating from college, that was instead, 10 years of teaching, coaching, and even administrating in various private and public middle and high schools. But in my 30s, my life took a few detours, and eventually, I found myself in need of a good-paying job. Aside from being a trained teacher, the only other skills I possessed involved turning wrenches. So I found an opportunity in the trades, where I would spend the next twenty-plus years forging a totally new career. During my time as a diesel technician, I worked with my hands, building, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing the trucks and TRU equipment that make up the refrigerated food and pharmaceutical supply chain. Eventually, I found my way into the corporate leadership side of the industry, teaching the tradecraft and professional life skills to younger technicians who were trying to forge a successful career turning wrenches. One thing has always been true, no matter the job title, from molding young minds in a school classroom or training employees in how to succeed professionally, everything over the past 30 years has been preparing me for this new endeavor with the Heavy-Duty Mike Podcast. This, though, brings me to a serious disclaimer; it’s something I want to be clear about right at the outset, too. In fact, it’s why I still lean into and identify as a diesel mechanic and not a bible teacher. There is one thing that I hope I never become known for, and it’s the prototypical modern ministry-minded mouthpiece for all things Christian; Not to besmirch good people who preach and teach God’s Word, because there are many, but the new generation of dudes who seem to be about looking in touch with the mainstream. These are people who are complete with feel-good stories, positive energy, good vibes, and have this almost unbelievable charm that captivates and impresses everyone. Now listen, what angers me isn’t the look or the good vibes, it’s the lack of functional authenticity. What I mean is that, when it comes to pointing people to the biblical truth, bringing to light the message of God's Word, they simply are not doing the job, and too many young Christians are being misled about who God is, and what being a disciple of Christ is all about— this reality is simply destructive. I’ve seen the impact on good people and how it’s even led some to deconstruct their faith in Christ and turn away altogether. I know, this sounds harsh, and it is, but this needs to be said, and it’s for good reason. I want to offer something different, something grounded in the practical application of biblical truth. Here is what I mean— take this example—When a transport refrigeration trailer unit, responsible for keeping twenty million dollars worth of pharmaceutical product safe in the throes of a mid-summer afternoon heatwave, begins to fail, no one actually cares about anything but the responding repair technician's ability to get on site, identify, diagnose, and repair the problem. In fact, it’s never about the guy's expensive tools or toolbox, the kind of service truck he drives, his position in the shop, or where he ranks in the hierarchy—instead, it’s about whether or not he possesses the wisdom, work ethic, and problem-solving skills necessary to quickly fix the unit before twenty million dollars is lost forever. What matters most in these situations as a technician is the same thing that I think matters in following Christ, our abilit