The Teacher

My dad is many things. He is a banker, a business man, an expert at making scrambled eggs, he is a lawyer, a petroleum engineer, a fan of Westerns and double chocolate brownies, a man with impeccable rhythm and dancing skills and a pretty incredible grandpa. He also bought me a horse when I was 12. An actual HORSE. How do you top that, people? And if that weren't enough to make you want to copy his resumé, he is also a teacher. And he is putting this to work at his new digs.

But first, let's get a little back story, shall we?

The oil and gas industry is booming right now. If you don't believe me, just call up anyone in North Dakota and they'll tell you they have a rig in their backyard. I heard a statistic the other day that truck drivers are getting paid $150,000 to drive oil rig trucks right now. $150,000. That's a lot of money. Shoot, I am just a mullet away from becoming one myself!

Hailing from the oil-filled state of Oklahoma, my dad was working in this industry as a petroleum engineer during the oil boom of the late 70's and early 80's. And for the past year and a half, my dad has gone back to this industry, loving the people and the work that is associated with it. And his employer loves him too, enough to put him on extended leave during this time instead of looking for someone to replace him. That blows my mind; yet another testament to how God is working.

My dad is also surrounded by a lot of men who have little to no education, and with a felony record, have little to no hope of finding a job once they are released. Some of these guys are repeat offenders and their prospects of finding a new line of work is slim. This need became evident within the first 24 hours of my dad being at Camp Alamosa. So he decided to do something about it: he began teaching classes on how to work in the oil and gas industry. And he began by opening the book of Genesis and talking about how the world was created.

At his first class, five guys showed up. At his second, this number nearly doubled. I have a feeling by week 4 he may need to ask the warden for his own office. If my dad wasn't cool before, he is wicked cool now. God is using my him to give these men hope. And there is nothing more powerful than hope.