Author's Bio / Info Page
Faith Background
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Neither of my parents raised me as a Christian. My great
grandparents were Christians - actually my grandpa Rant was a traveling
evangelist, but I didn't get to see him or my great grandmother Thelma very
often. They were my only examples of Christians.
I always believed in God. My great grandparents taught me about
heaven and a few basics, but that's all I had throughout my adolescence.
Obedience to God and morality were 'disconnected'. In other words,
what I said I believed and the way I lived didn't line up.
When I was 21 years old, God gave me a vision that opened my eyes to who
Jesus was. I've been a born again Christian ever since. I was
saved before this experience I suppose, but I didn't know God the way I know Him now.
He showed me that He is Love, and Jesus is His name. These simple things
were told to me a million times before this vision, but I didn't "KNOW" them
as I do now.
Family
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Married in 1996 - 3 children. Live in Fresno, CA.
Interests / Hobbies
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Writing, of course, is something I've always enjoyed.
Poetry ,
research, sci-fi, children's stories, etc. I love art work of many different
forms (writing being one of them), though I consider this Web site an artistic
experiment, combining my various interests together in this one medium. I
really like unusual art work as well. I'm
currently working on marketing my latest book, Aliens and the Antichrist,
through radio interviews - it will also be made available on the shelves of
Barns & Nobel stores by early 2007. I'm also funding the conversion of my first sci-fi novel, Apparition, into a
screenplay, and marketing it to Hollywood producers. Pray for me that it makes the big screen!
Computers are my occupation, and hobby. Programming (download free
Bible flashcard program, BootVerse 1.0 ),
webpage development, computer graphics (check out the
screensavers on this site), networking, databases, etc. Like
most Air National Guard fulltime technicians, I'm a jack of all trades, master
of none (even though I'm a master sergeant). We have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and
software, but little training, and only a fraction of the manpower we need to
get the job done, so we learn a lot about everything, but not enough to be an
expert in anything.
I love playing the drums! I started playing the drums in the 5th grade and
played all through high school. I play for my church, and I'm in a
band/ministry (Emaus Road Shew) with my brother, sister-in-law, and two other
guitarists. Here's a 20Mb drum solo I did not too
long ago, HERE .
Camping, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, rappelling, canoeing, cliff
diving, etc. I'm not nearly as active as I used to be, but I still love
outdoor activities. I'm not actually 'good' at any of these things -
I just enjoy them.
I also like building and construction to a certain degree. My dad
was a general contractor for about 30 years, and I spent much of my childhood
framing houses, remodeling, painting, roofing, etc. Most kids get yelled
at for doing dangerous stuff, while I was walking on the tops of bare-framed
walls and using nail guns and skill saws. These days, whenever I need
something done on my house, I generally like to do it myself. I'll never
consider fixing my car by myself, but I'll build a new fence for my backyard -
that's not a problem.
Educational Background
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Bachelor's Degree and two Associate's Degrees; attended 2 colleges and 2
universities. I'm strongly considering going for my Masters degree -
Amberton University in Texas offers an excellent online program for a Masters
degree in business (under $7K). With a Masters degree, I could also be a
part-time instructor. I'd also love to go to seminary to get a Masters in
Divinity, but that would cost me $32K. Most people don't like school, but I did.
I guess you could call me a nerd with a wild streak.
A couple of computer certs.
NCO academy graduate.
Occupational Background
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Framing and remodeling - 10 yrs
Army Infantry, M-60 gunner - 3 yrs (1 yr 6 months Fort Ord, Monterey CA.,
6 months Panama during the Panamanian conflict, 1 yr South Korea)
Collection of odd jobs while in school (janitor, landscaping, grounds
keeper, pizza delivery driver, etc.)
Air National Guard fulltime Communications/Computer Security, and now,
Network Administrator. As of
the date of this webpage (21 Nov 06 - Thanksgiving), I'm a Master Sergeant. I'll apply for my
boss' job in a few months; wish me luck! I've also applied for a job at the
Navy base in Lemoore, which is another option I'm considering.