Nevertheless, at Your Word

Job Loss

For eleven years, I had worked for Texas Instruments in Johnson City, TN. I had been hired before I graduated tech school with an associate's degree in electronics engineering. And during that time, I had met the love of my life, gotten married and had three small girls. I couldn't have been happier. Then, like most storms, there was a sudden unexpected upheaval in the natural things... Siemens Industrial Automation came in, bought the company building, and hired 2/3rds of my coworkers over to their side. This left the remaining Texas Instruments employees like myself, working in Siemens' building, renting space from them, with a new in-place rule... no more TI folks could be hired over.

I found myself merely weeks away from losing my job, and a family of five to provide for. As you would guess, my first momentary reaction was a bit of panic. And it's not as though this doesn't happen all the time in America, because it does. And it's not as if I'm the only person ever in history to face down losing a job while having a family to feed, because thousands of folks were worse off then me in that regard. So, after a moment of panic, I humbled myself and realized this is nothing new for Americans to deal with. That brought a wave of momentary relief. But the cold hard fact remained... I needed a new job. I immediately called on the name of Jesus.

At the time (1990s), high-tech jobs were a rarity in Northeast Tennessee. Texas Instruments was not closing down operations entirely. Instead, we were told they were merely "moving" operations to three different locations in Texas; Temple, Austin, and Lubbock. My job was specifically being moved to Temple. I didn't want to go. Mostly, because I didn't want to leave the mountains. But also because my wife and I had close family ties here; both of us having been born and raised in the area. 

But with TI's move, and the cross-over hiring freeze on, ruling out a move to Siemens, the high-tech jobs seemed to vacate the area. During the "transition period" it was like corporate was trying to find a building to keep the business in Northeast Tennessee. Although I'm not entirely sure that was true. They didn't seem to be trying very hard. And all my friends who were electronics techs like me, moved out of the area entirely, either taking their job offers in Texas, or changing companies entirely. Either way, they were no longer employed in my area. They made sure to tell me as much: "You'll never find a job there."

TI graciously had allowed company services and infrastructure to be utilized for job hunting for its "doomed" employees. Also, planned out severance pay based on length of employment and such. Very fair; gracious even. It was hard to be mad at them. So, I prayed, asking God for a job in my area, and fully utilized TI's offer for their services in hunting for a job. I couldn't find any.

Useless Interviews

I had a job interview for Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, TN. I had actually worked on one of their automation machines (PLCs) while employed for TI. PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) were my specialty, and I had quite a bit of programming and troubleshooting experience tucked under my belt after working in that industry for eleven years. But Eastman had a company policy of hiring that ruled out being placed in PLC Maintenance right off the street. They maintained that you must be hired "at the bottom" as a "scrub" and then apply to work elsewhere in order to move up. My response: "So, you want me to throw eleven years of directly-related experience in PLCs down the drain just to work for Eastman?" A meek replay from my interviewer, "Well, yes, I guess so. Are you willing to do that, Mr. Kiser?" My reply: "Would you?" He realized how stupid the request was, and said, "I guess not. So, we won't see you for your second interview?" I simply replied, "No."

Now, you might be thinking, I just turned down a job! Well, I did. The reason? I wasn't that desperate. The starting pay was about 1/3rd of my pay at TI. Plus, I had even asked incredulously, "So, you're telling me that any kid graduating high-school could come in here and get the same job and apply for PLC Maintenance even though I have eleven years of directly-related experience even working on one of your machines already?!"

Time was of the essence. I was starting to have to fight my doubts of God's provision. So, I went to Him. I spent time with Him, listening. I basically said, "Give me something to go on, Lord. Give me some direction to look." It was then that I suddenly remember my Dad's story of provision.

My Dad's Witness To Me

I grew up in a house with strong faith in God. My Dad was not a worrier. He'd often been heard saying things like, "Your Mom does enough worrying for the both of us." True. As a kid, I had grown up sometimes working with my Dad to earn money during the summers. I had seen his work ethic. And it made me want to be just like him. He really didn't worry. When others fell apart, and presented seemingly impossible situations to him, the first thing he would always say was, "Well, the main thing is not to get excited." Then he would calmly seek a solution and, of course, find it. Why was he so stalwart in this regard? He had had a life-changing encounter with the living God when he was a boy.

He had grown up in Southwest Virginia in the Appalachian mountains. He had taken his dog and gone hunting. His mom had told him that if it blows up a storm while he's in the woods, to get out as fast as he could, not only because of lightning, but mainly because when a front comes in with the wind, it would break limbs out of the trees presenting a very real danger to anyone caught unawares there. Anyone who lives near a forested area can bear witness. So, while he was in the woods, a storm blew up. Struck suddenly with fear, he bolted toward the house. He fell headlong downhill in his desperation. When he came to a halt and looked up, he saw a shimmering light in front of him. He said all the fear he had went out the window. God spoke to him, in not so many words, "Do not be afraid. I will protect you. I will take care of you, your entire life." And from that day forward my Dad said he never feared anything, nor was even tempted to doubt God's provision.

To top that off, when I was in high school, a family member who worked for my Dad's company had been caught embezzling money from him. It was a large sum. Everyone advised my Dad to prosecute and throw the man in jail. Instead, Dad took a road trip to his old abandoned homestead up in Virginia, and walked up into the same woods he'd known as a kid to seek the Lord's help. While there, he walked up onto a lone dogwood tree, right in the middle of the woods, with no other dogwoods around. That was enough for him. He went home with his answer. He fired the embezzler, and forgave him.

The Dogwood Legend

Why would a dogwood tree provide the answer? You may not know the legend of the dogwood. But it is folklore of the South. The legend says the dogwood used to be as large as an oak, but that its wood was chosen to make the cross of Christ. After that, the tree withered in shame to become the small tree with twisted branches that it is today. It's blossoms took on the shape of the cross in its four petals, with notches on the ends of each petal looking like nail marks and are the color of blood. The cluster of tiny florets in the center of the blossoms look like the crown of thorns. Dad, knew this was merely legend and not Biblically accurate, but it spoke to him on the mountain. The tree he saw was about the right age to have been seeded when he was a boy and had encountered God. This made me, again, want to be just like him.

Unbeknownst To Abraham

So, I found peace. Then God showed me something else. It was sudden. It was very pronounced in my heart. If ever I've heard His precious and glorious voice, this was one incident where that may have happened. I cannot tell for sure. But he showed me Abraham, walking up the mountain to sacrifice his son Isaac. When Abraham had tied up his son, raised the knife, the angel spoke, and God provided the sacrifice Himself in the form of a ram caught in the thicket. We all know that story from Sunday School, and how it points to Christ. But He spoke this to me: "While Abraham was traveling up one side of the mountain, unbeknownst to him, I sent a ram up the other side, out of sight. At the right moment, it was caught and revealed to Abraham. So is your job." Peace that passes understanding surrounded my soul like never before. I was filled with joy. No, I did not dance or scream or shout; not my style. But I smiled and giggled like a little kid. Peace! So, I simply said out loud, "Show me which bush to look in so I can see my job that You have already provided." I literally said those words.

At work that day, an ad caught my eye in the paper. Some new company was starting up somewhere in Erwin, Tennessee (right down the road from Texas Instruments), looking for its first employees. But they didn't want just anyone, they wanted the first part of the vetting to be by making everyone interested to take a written exam. I felt a strong pull, "This is it!" I made the necessary contacts, and was scheduled to take the exam at a certain hotel room in Johnson City. 

Testing

I arrived on time, but the sight I saw almost made my heart sink. There were dozens and dozens of people waiting in line to take the exam. I later learned there were over 200 people who took the exam! But, I pushed the fear down, and quite literally chose to believe God had spoken to me. I waited in line for a long time. Went into the hotel room, took the timed test, which was more like achievement tests in high school, complete with reading comprehension, writing, science, 3D-space comprehension, problem solving, mathematics, and even some physics. I felt good about the testing afterward. It didn't feel too difficult.

A few days later I was called in for an interview. The company was called NRF, Inc., which I learned later originally stood for Natural Rubber Foam. But when the company went into business, their chemical engineer had already had the process switched to using synthetic rubber, so the acronym NRF no longer made sense. And since it was along the Nolichucky River in Erwin, we later donned it the Nolichucky River Factory... lol. Or, since the plant supervisor was named Reggie, we would often end up calling it, Not Reggie's Fault. Anyways, the interview went well, I thought, and the proposed starting pay was quite a bit lower than what I was making at TI, but it wasn't "Eastman scrub" low. My wife and I decided with a little bit of re-budgeting, we could manage. I accepted the job not even knowing what I was going to be doing. It didn't matter to me... I was going to be able to provide for my family. What a relief!

Jesus' Surprise On My First Day!

I reported for work my first day and we met with the management and my other new co-employees in the plant's meeting room. Out of the 200+ tested, they had hired five! I was thankful immediately, nearly to tears when I realized this. In the meeting they said we'd be working on potentially dangerous technologically-advanced equipment requiring focus. The product to be produced, at the moment, was absolutely tons of synthetic rubber strips that would be shipped to well-known diaper manufacturers who would utilize them in the stretchy part of their pull-up diapers. So, there were three colors; white, blue, and pink. We'd be manning the processes all the way through. We'd have to clean pipes, pumps, conveyor belts, adjust machine performance, and most of all, they said, offer suggestions on how to improve the process and make it more streamline all along the way. The liquid form of the rubber had ammonia in it, so it was potentially deadly. We would learn "lock-out, tag-out" procedures if working on machines, and take multiple safety courses to insure safety.

They also revealed that there would be a number of courses we could volunteer to take, followed by a test for the ones we chose, and if we passed at a certain level, we'd receive a small raise as compensation. I decided right then and there I would sign up for every single one.

After the meeting, I was pumped now knowing what I would be doing. It had nothing to do with my degree, nor electronics, but I would learn the process, follow the rules, and I was determined to be the best employee they had ever seen. But I was wrong. God had a little surprise for me.

When the meeting adjourned, we all were to follow the supervisor out to start learning the basics of the manufacturing process and the equipment. But before I could walk out, one of the managers stopped me and asked, "Are you Greg Kiser?" I answered, "Yes, sir." He said, "Good. OK. We hired you to be the PLC maintenance man." I felt the color leave my face! I could feel the joy rising up inside of me... then he added, "So, congratulations! You get a raise the first day. Do you know anything about Allen-Bradley PLCs?" Of course, though my work had all been on Texas Instruments PLCs, I was aware of all the other major players in the PLC field. And, the small idiosyncrasies between them is small... a PLC is a PLC. The syntax of the programming language may be a little different, but they all work on the same principle. So, I was very confident I could easily manage. 

But I was stunned. I felt like Jesus was laughing at me! Indeed, I got a raise the first day. It nearly matched my pay at Texas Instruments! And eventually I surpassed that pay because, like I had planned, I signed up for every course they offered, and passed them all, with a raise each time. After six months of working there I had already exceeded my pay at Texas Instruments. I had learned to drive a fork truck, use a cutting torch, use different welders, etc. And even better than that, I was learning hands-on PLC application, whereas at TI I had only been involved in the manufacturing, board repair, and engineering of the PLCs, and related equipment. This skillset became a stepping stone for the next job I would do for Siemens Technical Support a few years later.

Be Encouraged - God Has Already Provided

By the time I left NRF, I was managing three shifts of the maintenance department, and had about four techs reporting to me. I was not their boss, just a manager of the works.

I praise my Lord Jesus Christ in providing for my family the way He did. My kids are all grown, married, and I have grandchildren now. But this miraculous provision in my life is something that sticks with me like it was yesterday. When He promised my Dad He would take care of him, I grabbed onto that for myself. Because what He will do for one, He will do for another. He has already provided for us in His work of salvation. Salvation is not merely about "going to heaven." It is much more than that.

If you are in need of a job, please remember this story. He is no respecter of persons. The following are not direct quotes, but they are the ideas you get from the referenced Scriptures in God's Word.

You may not have a job right now, but "nevertheless, at Your word..."

• He will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
• Do not be anxious over what you will eat, drink, or wear. Seek His Dominion first, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33)
• Yahweh is your shepherd, you shall not be in need (Psalm 23:1)
• Those who seek Yahweh will lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10)
• I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread (Psalm 37:25)
• Yahweh gives you power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18)
• God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2Corinthians 9:8)
• If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. (Matthew 7:11)
• Consider the ravens; they neither sow nor reap... and yet God feeds them. You are much more value than the birds. (Luke 12:24)
• Yahweh knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
• Jesus came that you may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)
• If God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)