It recently occurred to me that an experienced chemical engineer would be very useful to God to help others understand what is going on in the world, which is what I believe He has called me to do.
The job of an engineer is to make things work. If things don't work, the engineer doesn't work. In order to make things work, the engineer must seek the truth about technology and how the world functions. He must seek data and evidence, and if problems occur he must observe what is happening, take measurements and use logic to find out what is truly going on so he can fix the problem and make things work. Seeking truth becomes second nature.
Other professions do not necessarily need to seek truth, or tell truth, in order to get paid. Lawyers get paid for winning arguments. Journalists get paid to write what their editors will publish or broadcast. Doctors get paid to prescribe medications and install medical devices, unless they work outside of the established system. And pastors get paid as long as they can keep their pews filled.
I am not sure most people realize that engineers are professional truth seekers. I'm not saying they should believe everything I tell them, but they should understand that if they listen to me they can get a jump start on finding their own path towards the Truth. In other words, I've done a lot of the research for them already, and all they have to do is consider my observations, investigate further for themselves, and then make up their own minds.
To illustrate this, I'm going to list some of my experiences. In so doing, I risk boasting about myself and what I have done. That is not my intention.
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible...
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV)
In his letter to the Philippian true Israelites, Paul listed his heritage and accomplishments in his previous life so he could "count them but dung" so he might end up with Yeshua (Phil. 3:8). If Paul can do it in order to glorify what God is doing, so can I.
Early Career
I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1980, and began working for my employer in the middle of that year. I got to work in part of a silicone manufacturing plant during my first couple of years, and I ended up programming a computer to instruct operators how to adjust the process and improve its performance. I made it work better. Because I did a good job, I was offered a position on a team to commission a new facility in Britain.
I was one of three USA expatriate engineers on that commissioning team, and together with our British counterparts and other technical, operating, and trade employees, we all made the new process work. The process was a new design and there were some technical issues. On my own initiative, I obtained samples from the system that demonstrated what the problem was. I also used some equipment designed to listen for vibration problems in rotating equipment (pumps) to listen to what was going on inside of the process pipes, and ultimately proposed some piping changes that solved a related problem without having to spend a lot of money on new, expensive equipment. I figured out what was going on so we could make it work.
After that, I stayed on and joined another team to commission a different related process. It was a larger version of the process I had worked on back in the US. We successfully made that one work.
I stayed on after that to modify and improve the processes we had just started up. It was my first project management experience and I got to spend several million dollars. I led the specification of the changes, oversaw the construction and restarted the new, modified process, with the help of others of course. We made it work.
Middle Career
The success I had in Britain led to my next role in technology development. I was responsible for coordinating improvements to all of the processes across the corporation like the one I was responsible for at the beginning of my career. It was about making things work better and for less money.
One of the things I learned on that job was the real Scientific Method. A very experienced PhD chemical engineer, who had patent awards lining his large, corner office windowsill, explained it to me one day. He pointed out that the Scientific Method can't prove anything, it can only disprove. You make observations and propose an hypothesis which you then test to disprove. One piece of valid data is enough to disprove an hypothesis. Lots of data and repeated experiments can lend support to the hypothesis, but they can't prove it. This is not taught in schools, and many people who don't understand this do bad science. And of course the popular culture has no idea what they are talking about when it comes to scientific investigation. This lesson was key for my understanding about how to search for truth.
That technology development job led to a role back in Britain as a lead technical representative on a project team to build a new, world-scale silicone plant. My job was to specify and design roughly half of the new facility, with the help of others of course. We were making this new one much larger than anything that had been done before, and we had to understand how other processes like it worked so we could make ours work.
Next, I moved back to the States and managed a series of projects to increase the production capacity of a facility that made a significant portion of the world's supply of a silicon material used to make the semiconductor chips that are in computers and many other devices. This involved multiple tens of millions of dollars. My job was to work with those who ran the existing process to specify the necessary changes, work with those who designed the changes and purchased the new equipment, oversee the construction of the changes, and organize the teams that started up the new systems. I worked with and led dozens of people. Together, we all made it work.
One of the other significant things I did was bring insight I gained in Europe about the potential impact from accidental releases of large quantities of highly hazardous chemicals that are used and stored in chemical processes. I also brought back knowledge of methods for effectively managing change in those processes. Those things were new to the people I worked with in the States, and I was eventually able to convince them to understand and adapt the concepts. This, along with my project management successes at making things work, gained me respect from my peers and from management.
Late Career
As I stated in other posts, I left my career to follow the Lord, but was then drawn back into engineering work. I restarted as a contractor and was asked to search the Internet about the safety of a particular process that was going to be built. I was then asked to do calculations to specify safety equipment on a different new process. I was then asked to lead the process design of a new process to handle byproduct material. As we worked on that one I could tell there were problems with the technology, and I let my manager know. It was eventually built after I had moved on, and it didn't work, which didn't surprise me.
People at my original employer saw that I was working again, and the top manager at the facility, who happened to be one of the other expatriate engineers on my first British assignment, called me at home and asked me to come back as his process safety manager. That job was not about making things work but enforcing the rules. It was also about managing risk. Those things had made their way to the USA from Europe, and my prior advocacy for them and reputation about it made him think of me.
Risk has two parts: 1) Likelihood of something bad happening, and 2) How bad it is. If something is not much of a problem, and it is unlikely to happen, the risk is low. If something has severe consequences, but is very unlikely, the risk may be acceptable. Likewise, if something is certain to happen, but is not much of a problem, the risk may also be acceptable. The real bad situations are those that are a certainty and have very bad consequences. Those situations are very high risk.
When I read the Bible and understand what Yeshua is talking about when he talks about "eternal fire," I get very concerned when I realize he is revealing Truth and his predictions are a certainty. This falls into the very high risk category, and it fuels my passion and urgency about what I push on this blog.
One of the things I did later in my career was informally and regularly chat with my direct manager about things I saw. I used to walk around the construction sites of my projects looking for problems, and it trained me to do it all the time. At one point, I worked for the top person at my location and he was very interested in what I observed and my opinions. Some of those discussions resulted in significant changes at the company. Later, when I was doing process safety work, the corporation's director of that discipline often asked for my frank opinions about what I saw and what I thought the company should do. Those leaders valued what I had learned to see.
As you can see, an engineer is obsessed with understanding the truth because the success of his career is riding on it. If he makes an error, or is not diligent about what he is doing, his efforts will not work, and his livelihood will be over, at least as an engineer. It happens, and I've seen it.
This is why I implore people to listen to what I am saying. They should take advantage of the research I have done so they can evaluate for themselves what they think is right.
All glory to God.
------------------
UPDATE, July 7, 2022...
INTJ - That's Me!
A friend shared a great site that offers a FREE comprehensive personality test. It seems pretty useful and insightful.
https://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/test
I answered the questions and scored as "INTJ." The Internet describes what that means...
Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging (INTJ)
http://typelogic.com/intj.html
Portrait of an INTJ
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/INTJ.html
INTJ Personal Growth
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/INTJ_per.html
Here are my scores:
Introverted = 19% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Extroverted)
iNtuitive = 22% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Sensing)
Thinking = 16% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Feeling)
Judging = 34% (moderately in that direction from neutral; opposite of Perceiving)
Here is part of what one of the above links says...
THE SCIENTIST
As an INTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things rationally and logically.
INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.
With Introverted Intuition dominating their personality, INTJs focus their energy on observing the world, and generating ideas and possibilities. Their mind constantly gathers information and makes associations about it. They are tremendously insightful and usually are very quick to understand new ideas. However, their primary interest is not understanding a concept, but rather applying that concept in a useful way. Unlike the INTP, they do not follow an idea as far as they possibly can, seeking only to understand it fully. INTJs are driven to come to conclusions about ideas. Their need for closure and organization usually requires that they take some action.
INTJ's tremendous value and need for systems and organization, combined with their natural insightfulness, makes them excellent scientists. An INTJ scientist gives a gift to society by putting their ideas into a useful form for others to follow. It is not easy for the INTJ to express their internal images, insights, and abstractions. The internal form of the INTJ's thoughts and concepts is highly individualized, and is not readily translatable into a form that others will understand. However, the INTJ is driven to translate their ideas into a plan or system that is usually readily explainable, rather than to do a direct translation of their thoughts. They usually don't see the value of a direct [translation], and will also have difficulty expressing their ideas, which are non-linear. However, their extreme respect of knowledge and intelligence will motivate them to explain themselves to another person who they feel is deserving of the effort.
INTJs are natural leaders, although they usually choose to remain in the background until they see a real need to take over the lead. When they are in leadership roles, they are quite effective, because they are able to objectively see the reality of a situation, and are adaptable enough to change things which aren't working well. They are the supreme strategists - always scanning available ideas and concepts and weighing them against their current strategy, to plan for every conceivable contingency.
INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings. Unless their Feeling side is developed, they may have problems giving other people the level of intimacy that is needed. Unless their Sensing side is developed, they may have a tendency to ignore details which are necessary for implementing their ideas.
The INTJ's interest in dealing with the world is to make decisions, express judgments, and put everything that they encounter into an understandable and rational system. Consequently, they are quick to express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and are convinced that they are right about things. Unless they complement their intuitive understanding with a well-developed ability to express their insights, they may find themselves frequently misunderstood. In these cases, INTJs tend to blame misunderstandings on the limitations of the other party, rather than on their own difficulty in expressing themselves. This tendency may cause the INTJ to dismiss others input too quickly, and to become generally arrogant and elitist.
INTJs are ambitious, self-confident, deliberate, long-range thinkers. Many INTJs end up in engineering or scientific pursuits, although some find enough challenge within the business world in areas which involve organizing and strategic planning. They dislike messiness and inefficiency, and anything that is muddled or unclear. They value clarity and efficiency, and will put enormous amounts of energy and time into consolidating their insights into structured patterns.
[...continued at http://www.personalitypage.com/html/INTJ.html]
Yes, we are all different. God makes us the way we are for His purposes.
All Glory to Him!
UPDATE, July 8, 2022...
😢
UPDATE, July 9, 2022...
Psychological tests are just tools. People are much more complex than the results of a sixty-four question interrogation. But tools can help us gain insight.
I took a psychology class in college, and found it quite helpful. I learned similar things by training my dog. The science of psychology tries to understand our minds and behaviors, but it does so from a worldly perspective. I once looked for the words "God," "Jesus," and "Israel" in the index of a psychology book, and I came up with nothing. Consequently, I concluded psychology is a "godless" endeavor.
Saying that, psychology can be useful. Identifying myself as an "INTJ" is enlightening, and the related descriptions are helpful. I can see that I am a non-linear thinker, look for systems to organize things, and find great satisfaction in achieving results in a complex situation. I like to solve problems and make things work; hence the subject of this original post.
Before my spiritual growth, I built systems to make things work. A computer was provided for me in my first job, and I used it to develop a tool for the process operators that went far, far beyond expectations and brought the performance of my area of responsibility into line with that of similar systems at other locations. During my first project management experience, portable (lug-able, actually) personal computers became available and I spent hours at home learning to utilize a database to keep track of "punch list" items for my projects. My peers made fun of the pages and pages of printouts I produced, ... but I didn't care. It helped me to be successful and lowered my stress once I got it developed and in use.
I fell in love with databases. That first one was called "Symphony," and I don't remember who made it. Then I learned about programming relational databases by using Borland's "Paradox" package. I really liked that program, but Borland was bought out and disappeared soon afterwards, taking all of my work with it into obsolescence. Before that happened, a colleague, who happened to be Christian (I was not), told me to stop. I ignored him, but now realize it was actually God speaking.
When I returned to the States in the mid-1990's, I started using Microsoft "Access" to continue the work I had done with Paradox. Of course, I had to start over and learn a completely new system, but I had lots of hours available in the evenings and on the weekends. My wife never complained, but I would wear myself out "playing" over entire weekends.
When I took my 75-month sabbatical, I did not have access to professional database programs, but I did eventually start writing and developing my blog. I had learned about HTML in my last few years of work before I quit, and I found those experiences useful, and still do. As soon as I returned to my employer in the late 2000's, I incorporated database tools into what I was doing. By the time I retired, I had developed a very sophisticated application to make compliance with some government regulations almost automatic. I'm sure when the company was bought out by one of its owners a year later they trashed whatever I had done and implemented their own systems. They fired most of the managers, so why would they keep my pet creation?
I now realize all of that work was my "flesh." I was doing those things in my own strength, and using the mechanics of my "INTJ" personality to creatively drive to my goals of success.
Then... I got set free. Since then, the Holy Spirit has been utilizing my "INTJ" personality to accomplish what God the Father wants me to be doing. It's the same thing as before, but the "yoke is easy and burden is light." I am submitted entirely to Him, and I use the tools I have in my "toolbag" to accomplish far greater things than I could ever possibly do on my own. And I am so overjoyed.
All glory to Him!
UPDATE, July 10, 2022...
I think my wife was an "ISFJ." Here are the characteristics...
Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging (ISFJ)
http://typelogic.com/isfj.html
Portrait of an ISFJ
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ISFJ.html
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ISFJ_per.html
Do others who knew her agree? I would like to know. Do I have this right?
If she was an "ISFJ," then according to the typelogic.com site our "Type Relationships" are "Enigmas" to each other. (See the bottom of the INTJ and ISFJ pages.) That means we were, "a puzzle: totally foreign in nearly every facet." Isn't that interesting?
She was a puzzle to me, and I spent my life trying to figure her out. I did that because I loved her, and because she was my wife. I was committed to the relationship and I wanted to make it work. I believe we both did. I think this is reflected in some of my blog posts.
Interesting...
UPDATE, July 24, 2022...
Of course, I have been diving into this new "tool" head first, figuring out the likely personality types of those I love and care about, and learning about myself and how I interact with others.
I am going to discuss my relationship with my late wife. Here is a comparison of our personality types...
| Me | Wife |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dominant: | Introverted Intuition | Introverted Sensing |
| Auxiliary: | Extroverted Thinking | Extroverted Feeling |
| Tertiary: | Introverted Feeling | Introverted Thinking |
| Inferior: | Extroverted Sensing | Extroverted Intuition |
She taught me to experience the world around me. She taught me about plants and flowers, and pointed out the "root beer" smelling irises in our garden that we inherited from the previous owners. They smell like the root beer "Fizzie" drinks we enjoyed as children. She helped me recognize weeds so I could tend her gardens without pulling up the flowers. I greatly valued her gifts of observation and all of the marvelous things she did to meet the needs of others and make our house a home. I still remember looking around at the furnishings of her modest mobile home when we were dating and thinking, "I really like this. This is home."
My spiritual connection resides in my Introverted Intuition. That function fuels my thirst for understanding and it is where my demons lived. Once I had insight from the Holy Spirit, my Intuition drove me to grab my "Damsel in Distress" by the hand and lead her to safety.
She listened to me talk for hours about what I was thinking, and she helped me learn to express my feelings. Our relationship was a challenge, but we made it work. We were colleagues who began our relationship with sex and it blossomed into love, just as our Creator intended.
I have been waiting eagerly to see how the volleyball metaphor would pan out. Perhaps this is it. I described in my I Am Not Paul post how I worked very hard to give my college dorm friend perfect sets so he could spike the ball with his neophyte abilities. Just like he and I eventually found the Volleyball Club, I eventually expect to find those who will recognize and appreciate my learned skills and capabilities in the "Game" the Father is playing to accomplish His purposes. Perhaps I have found them.
I now understand why this blog is so important to me. It provides me with a route for my Extroverted Thinking to process what is going on inside my Introverted Intuition. It helps me provide closure about things so I can move on. Very importantly, it allows me to develop my communication skills. Much of what I discuss with people are concepts and ideas I have coalesced through my writing. I have accumulated prepackaged snippets and stories to share that have been thought out and honed so they are perhaps understandable and useful to others. This is, after all, a key challenge for my personality type, as I have been learning.
UPDATE, May 25, 2023...
Some of the links, above, don't work. The "personalitypage" website seems to be no more. It was rather old.
Here is a link to a similar website that discusses the same things: https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality. Instead of "Scientist," that website calls the INTJ personality an "Architect."
UPDATE, July 8, 2023...
The "personalitypage" website is back, with an updated appearance.