Hello, World! My name is Glenn Matlock, Jr. I currently live in Eastern Washington. This is my first post ever. The bad news is, according to another blog I read recently, that your first blog post will be terrible. The good news is that your 10,000th blog post should be amazing. Therefore, I have every confidence that at least the first part will be true!
My hope is to have more to post here, and that as I get the hang of it, I will share updates more regularly/frequently. Most of the advice I have come across recommends having an overall theme for your blog. For me, that’s the tough part. As a mid-career and mid-life person with many varied experiences, I don’t know where to start.
I will start with my first passion – for preaching and teaching God’s Word. That explains why I have spent the last couple of decades volunteering as a leader, preacher, and teacher at the local churches I have served. Amassing more than 100 sermons under my belt now, I have the distinct privilege of serving as the part-time (bi-vocational) pastor of Ingle Chapel Congregational Church in Milton-Freewater, Oregon.
As for other interests and experiences, I am originally from Fremont, California. My father, Glenn Sr., was a retired senior pastor (he passed away five years ago). In all honestly, I wasn’t seeking out a career or life in the ministry. In fact, I originally aimed at something much difference.
On that note, I graduated from West Point in 1996. I served as a Combat Engineer officer in the Army for five years (and 3 months and 25 days, but who’s counting). Three of those five years were at the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, California – 58th Combat Engineer Company, 11th ACR. The joke then was that I actually left the service so I wouldn’t have to be an engineer any longer!
As they say, when you think you have your life figured out, God is laughing! My first job leaving the service was as a staff engineer, where I worked in construction management in California for four years. From there, I found a similar position in the federal sector, and I have been working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Walla Walla, Washington ever since. Along the way, I obtained my license as a civil engineer and became a federal supervisor. My current position is Supervisory Resident Engineer and Administrative Contracting Officer (don’t worry if you don’t understand what that means!).
The last couple decades have exposed me to experiences in the military, leadership, organizational management and behavior, and project management (especially construction and contract management). I also served as the lead risk management specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Work Cost Center of Expertise. That’s why my tool belt also includes experience and expertise in risk analysis, risk management, business process improvements, as well as expert facilitation skills.
Along the way, I have earned an M.Div. from Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.S. in Engineering Management (what is now Missouri S&T), and an MBA (UMass, Amherst). This, with a sack full of licenses and certifications. Which will explain why I may dabble in musing here about a wide variety of issues and topics.