Dan Birchfield — Saturday Sermon

Allow me to begin by talking about parachutes and tool boxes.

Around 1989, when I was a young seminary student, one of my professors had a saying; “always keep your parachute packed.” This was a metaphor for being prepared for times of difficulty and crises. The expression about always having your parachute packed comes from the story of Captain Charlie Plumb, a U.S. Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. After his jet was shot down, he ejected and landed safely with his parachute, but was then captured and spent six grueling years as a prisoner of war.

Many years later, while enjoying a meal at a restaurant, a man approached Plumb and said, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Charlie Plumb who flew missions over Vietnam?”

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