The Craftsman
A servant forged through service, shaped by the craft, and guided by faith.
Forged through Service
My journey began long before I stepped into a woodworking shop.
At seventeen years old, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as an infantryman during three combat deployments to Iraq between 2004 and 2008. Those years instilled values that have remained with me throughout my life: discipline, perseverance, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
After returning home, my calling to serve continued. Over the next two decades, I became an EMT and firefighter, eventually entering law enforcement. Beginning as a patrol officer, I worked my way through the ranks to Patrol Sergeant, leading officers, making difficult decisions under pressure, and carrying the responsibility that comes with protecting others.
Whether wearing the uniform of a Marine, firefighter, or police officer, every chapter of my life shared the same purpose: service. Those experiences shaped my character, strengthened my work ethic, and taught me that:
Excellence is not found in grand gestures, but in faithfully doing ordinary things to an extraordinary standard.
Today, although my service has taken a different form, those principles remain at the heart of everything I build.
Shaped by the craft
Long before woodworking became my profession, building was simply part of who I was. From childhood, I was drawn to working with my hands, understanding how things were made, and turning whatever materials were available into something useful.
That instinct followed me into the Marine Corps. During my deployments to Iraq, we often had to solve problems with limited tools, scarce materials, and whatever could be found or repurposed. Although I served as an infantryman, I was frequently called upon to build and improve guard posts, bunkers, fighting positions, and other structures needed to protect the Marines around me. Those experiences taught me to think practically, adapt quickly, and build with purpose. The work did not need to be decorative. It needed to be strong, dependable, and capable of doing its job.
While later serving as an EMT and firefighter, I began working as an apprentice in a cabinetry shop. There, I learned that fine woodworking demands more than the ability to operate tools. It requires patience, precision, discipline, and respect for the material. I learned to sharpen and maintain hand tools, mill rough lumber, fit joinery carefully, and understand that:
The quality of a finished piece is determined by the work hidden beneath the surface.
I later apprenticed as a residential framer and continued working in carpentry part time throughout my years in public service. Framing strengthened my understanding of structure, load, and the importance of building from a sound foundation. Residential carpentry added experience in repairs, renovations, cabinetry, finish work, and the practical challenges of working within existing homes. Each stage added another tool to the chest and deepened my respect for work that is honest, useful, and built to endure.
Guided by faith
Over time, woodworking became more than a skill or occupation. It had become the place where every lesson from the chapters before converged. Service took on a different form. Instead of protecting homes, I was helping build them. Instead of responding after something was broken, I could create something intended to endure from the beginning.
My Christian faith lies at the heart of that work. I believe craftsmanship is an act of stewardship and that the work of our hands should be performed honestly, carefully, and with purpose. Whether I am building furniture, fitting cabinetry, restoring part of a home, or solving an unexpected problem on site, my goal is not simply to make something attractive. It is to create something useful, lasting, and worthy of the trust placed in me.
Craftsmanship is not merely the work of human hands. It is an act of stewardship before God.
The words of Saint Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 have become a guide for both my life and my work:
“Aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”
CRUXetFABER is the product of that journey: forged through service, shaped by the craft, and guided by faith.