PERSONAL RESUME

I paid cash for this 1965 Ford Mustang with the money I earned while in High School. This picture was taken the day of my High School Prom. I was not raised as a spoiled rotten rich kid and given everything I coveted. I had to earn my keep in my parent's household growing up. THIS IS WHEN I LEARNED THE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP. I prefer to call it a blessing from all the hard work it took to obtain such a prized possession. Oh, by the way, I named her "Mustang Sally". Man...she was fast! Who paid for your first car?

Let me preface my resume with this note...

Imagine yourself with me in an actual sit-down face to face interview. My added personal commentary is important for you to fill in the blanks. All seasoned job interviewers KNOW how important this is in picking the right hire. Do you agree?

Let's go ahead and start the interview...

My Think Tank Ministry Objective is to mentor men and boys to become One with Jesus as He is One with our Heavenly Father as Jesus prayed in John 17.

Here's My Past Job Experience - I bounced a around from job to job until I found my career niche in the Body of Christ.

• Maintained several neighbor's lawns during teenage years. Harry Ferran was one of them.
• Worked as Bag Boy for Publix while in High School back when we could receive tips for taking the customer’s groceries to their cars.
• My Grandfather paid me for harrowing his orange groves each summer.  
• I worked for a large landscaping company right out of High School in the summer of 1970 installing turf, trees and shrubs for “The Springs” in Longwood, FL. This property was purchased by a private developer who turned it into a an exclusive high end residential community. Do you remember the public park was called “San-Lando Springs” known for its giant water slide?  My cousin Charlie Gray purchased that slide and placed it into his own springs for his children in Debary, FL. Charlie sold his property to Volusia County to be turned into a Public Park free for everyone to use. My sisters and I loved to  go to their home and go down the slide without having to stand in a long line.
• Attended Valencia Community College Fall & Spring Semester 1970-71.
• Joined U.S. Navy for four year tour of duty in the Summer of 1971 and honorably discharged  in June 1975.
• Continued education at Valencia  in June 1975 using the G.I. Bill.
• Sporting Goods & Hardware Retail Sales Clerk at JCPenney. Hired for Christmas help November 1975. I was in charge of the sale of all firearms and set a store record for most firearms sold for a Christmas Season. Penny's had a Sporting Goods and Hardware Department back then at the "Old Winter Park Mall".
• Worked for UPS one Christmas season to speed up the deliveries of their drivers. I was a runner who would run the packages up to the customer’s front door and back to the truck. Can you believe I got paid to run? I no longer needed to fit my morning run into my daily schedule. What a blessing this job was and it paid great as well. My family was given many nice gifts on Christmas day.
• Had a side job for extra cash cleaning roofs...see flyer.
• Milk Wholesale Route Man for Borden's working 65+ hours per week in 1977-78. I had a lot of overtime pay with this job.
• Child Care Worker Orange County Juvenile Detention Center 1978-79. This was one of my stops for milk delivery. The Supervisor of the Detention Center, Tom Fay, asked me to come work as a Child Care Worker. I was putting in over 65 hours a week with Borden’s so this was a great opportunity to cut back on my hours which was becoming very burdensome on my charitable activities with church.
• VA Representative for the G.I. Bill at UCF (a paid position). This position allowed me to quit the grave yard shift at the detention center. It's very hard to stay awake at three o'clock in the morning. With less work hours on my schedule I was able to continue my education at UCF part time in the fall of 1979 and graduated in April 1983. My total annual income was in excess of $30,000 a year while putting myself through college at UCF in the early 1980's. No student loans here! This was great income for a single person at the time. I started my first semester at UCF majoring in Secondary Education. I wanted to be a High School Biology teacher and coach High School Football. This is when I learned that Orange County Teachers were starting at $14, 500 per year in salary. I was making twice that much putting myself through college. This is when I realized that I could not raise a family with this amount of money. I changed my major to General Studies since I was not going to need a secondary education degree anymore and committed to pursue a career outside public education. My mom was a public school teacher. Teachers should be paid as much as engineers in my opinion. We will not hire the best teachers in the world with this amount of annual income, agreed? We should not be surprised when we see our children ill prepared to compete in the job market once they leave Public Education. Teacher Unions are the biggest impediment to a quality education. They stand in the way of progress. Trump has to fight these narcissists every day with his effort to introduce School Choice and merit pay to qualified teachers. Just so you know, the first thing to be eliminated in a Socialistic government is competition which is what breeds excellence in any endeavor we pursue . I guess you have noticed by now I am like the Apostle Paul in my writing because I love run-on sentences. Don’t we call this “chasing rabbits”? I know this trait annoys a lot of people. I can’t help it. I was born with Attention Deficit Disorder and have always been a very hyperactive child. It goes with the very large amount of faith God has blessed me with. If God puts a thought in my mind, I generally run with it.
• Carpenter for Darin & Armstrong. Helped build Space Ship Earth at Epcot Summer of 1981. My Grandfather taught me my carpenter skills along with Shop Class in Junior High.
• Rental Sales Representative for Budget Rent-a-Car at OIA in 1981-1983. Worked the 3 to 11 afternoon shift which was perfect for my college class schedule. I was consistently tops in sales every month.
• Spent some time with mom in Fruitland Park and worked at Pine Ridge Dairy in the summer of 1983 before leaving for Seminary. My mother’s husband, Ross Golden, use to deliver milk from this dairy in his younger years. That's back when you could get real whole milk right from the udder itself. He knew the owner, Bernice, very well.
• Attended Fall Semester at Southwestern Baptist Seminary 1983.
• Shoe Salesman for Belk and as a Private Mail Courier while attending this semester in Fort Worth Texas.
• Left Seminary because of a conflict of interest in December 1983 to start my career where ever it may lead.
• Too many side jobs along the way to list...especially in Landscaping.
• I hope you can see by now I am not a COUCH POTATO!
• Bottom Line, I never met a man who could out work me until Donald Trump came on the scene.

After graduating from UCF and returning home from Seminary, I was hired by Rollins Protective Services selling Security Alarm Systems in January 1984. My first sale was designing and selling a security alarm system for my cousin Charlie Gray’s home on Gemini Springs in Debary, FL. The Security Alarm division of Rollins has been eliminated and no longer exists under the Rollins umbrella. I joined a weekly networking club called TIP's (Trade-Ideas-Promotion-Source) at this time for the purpose of exchanging sales leads with those who participated. One of the members of this club was a man named Lou Fortner. He convinced me to come over and work for Middleton Pest Control in Orlando in the Spring of 1984. I was not happy with the unethical sales practices that Rollins' indoctrinates into their sales force. Conning a person to buy something has never worked for me because my conscience will not allow it. Here is my advice to younger people who want to pursue a career in Sales & Marketing, Don’t sell anything unless you are enthusiastic about what benefit it will bring to your target demographic and stay away from all those multi-marketing get rich schemes.

This is when I discovered my career niche was in the Pest Control Industry.

I don't believe I would have found my career niche if I had not experimented with the job market. My love for Science and the Florida environment was a perfect fit for this job. Greg Clendenin (former owner of Middleton Pest Control) hired me as a Sales Technician. I did not stay long because brothers Rick and Roger Lewis of Lewis-Cobb Pest Control offered me a better opportunity in sales and marketing for three years. From there, I went to work for Harvey Massey (owner of Massey Services) for two years and had a big part in starting their GreenUp Lawn Care division. I have discovered that when you are good at what you do in an industry the word gets out and headhunters’ step in to offer a better career opportunity to come work for them. You see the same thing happen with your best sports stars who are always shopping for a better career opportunity. The pursuit of Lebron James extraordinary basketball skills is a perfect example where teams compete to hire the best talent available at the time. 

This is why competition breeds excellence in whatever endeavor we may pursue.

Competition, not to mention our personal freedom, will be the first things eliminated in a Socialist run government. Here is what happens when we do not have competition in the marketplace…

1. Quality of work diminishes.

2. Products and services will go up in price dramatically because of scarcity.

3. Innovation will diminish because there is no incentive to improve what we sell.   

These three points are what causes the marketplace to stagnate because these Socialist power and control freaks have no practical experience in running a privately owned business and do not understand the importance of staying in the black with their accounting measures. Are you sure you want to become a slave to the Deep State Plantation run by progressive liberal democrats.?

I have a total of six years of tenure working for these pest control companies.

I decided to try direct sales in the Fertilizer Industry for La Roche Industries (formerly a subsidiary of US Steel) out of Davenport, FL in the Spring of 1989. They hired me as a Sales Rep for the West Coast of Florida. The plant burned down and is now defunct. I traveled the State of Florida to sell their products and to gain new accounts for one year. I moved to Bradenton because it was the best location to serve our accounts and pursue new accounts. I really did not like this job because I’d rather be home than sleeping in a hotel room three to four nights a week.

It was at this point in my life after obtaining all my Licensing & State Certifications in General Household Pest Control, Termite Elimination & Prevention and Lawn & Ornamental Plant Pest Control that I decided it is time to start my own Pest Control Company in the summer of 1990.

THIS WAS A HUGE LEAP OF FAITH!

All of my job changes were made to enhance my career in the job market. These company changes helped me better understand how other companies approach pest elimination and prevention in a safe, effective and affordable manner. Two or more heads are always better than one when refining the quality and increasing the quantity of the products or services we sell, don't you agree?

Please note all of these Pest Control companies are local and not large National companies like Orkin and Terminex. My wide range of experience with large companies, small companies, local companies, national companies including the largest of them all - the U.S. Government has taught me this Spiritual truth...

The larger the organization - the poorer the service.

I believe this should be added to the laws of physics or at least added to what scientists call the paranormal or unexplained phenomena that points to the truth of a certain principle. Here is another way of explaining this principle.

The more moving parts the less efficient and productive a system of principles will be.

Too many rules and regulations in company policy severely stunts financial growth and stands in the way of progress. Too many employees in any company dilutes progress and exponentially increases the costs of liability when producing a finished product or service. In other words...

Too many fingers in a company pie contaminates any organization made up of flawed human beings.

This is why I believe in the acronym KISS. I learned this principle in the Navy. It means "Keep It Simple Stupid". This principle applies to all organizations whether it be a church, private company or government office. Any of my former bosses (Chuck Steinmetz, Rick & Roger Lewis or Harvey Massey) will vouch for my extraordinary sales and customer service skills if you should contact them. I still stay in touch with Harvey. He owns the largest Pest Control Company in the Southeast. He is worth about a half billion dollars in my estimation. His son Tony runs the business now. He has a huge cattle ranch in Montana. He invited me to visit his ranch this past summer in his guest house. I wonder if he lost any cattle in the hard cold winter Montana had the winter before? So much for Global Warming, huh?

Bottom line...I believe I was taught and trained by the very best in the Pest Control Industry.

I always turned down management positions because I made much more money in sales and did not have to worry about managing people other than myself. I would not work for anyone unless they paid me a straight commission of 15% of what I generated in total annual sales. All our best salesmen in the world work on straight commission. Why? Because we are paid exactly what our sales are worth to the company we represent.

Have you noticed that our Heavenly Father uses percentages in measuring the costs of doing business in relation to our operating expenses? God requires us to allocate 10% of our income to be placed in a community chest to cover the cost of potential charitable needs that arise in a particular community. The theocracy of the Jewish Government taxed their citizens 10% of their total income. We the people are no longer subject to  Jewish Law so tithing today to a local church does not apply. The percentage of our income we choose for charitable purposes will vary with each individual and with each cause. Some would rather give 20% and another maybe 5% and another time what ever our heart may persuade us to do. I no longer tithe to any church because of all the corruption I have seen and experienced in the past. I now put 10% of my income into a separate savings account specifically used for charitable needs that may arise. I am a big donor to “Samaritan’s Purse” for example. Does our Heavenly Father require rich people to pay a higher percentage because of their excess wealth? Does He require the poor to pay less than 10% because of their low income? No, He does not! This flat percentage rate applies to everyone equally which includes the poor. The poor do not pay any taxes if their annual income is below a certain threshold. In other words, they do not pay their fair share in support of their community. They are used to getting everything for free so there is no incentive for them to better themselves. Maybe this would explain why we have so many free loaders in our country today. Unfortunately in our country...

IT PAYS TO BE POOR!

I started my own Indoor and Outdoor Pest Elimination and Prevention Service without any personnel management experience in the summer of 1990. I’m the former owner and founder of MASTERGREEN PEST CONTROL & LAWN CARE located in Winter Park, Florida...a full-service Pest Control Company. I started MASTERGREEN from scratch starting with two newly wed Orlando Jaycee friends of mine in their first home in Audubon Park and built it to over 5000 active ongoing customers and all within a ten year window. I have been self-employed ever since. This incredible accomplishment was achieved by my unwavering faith in MY ONLY SUPREME AUTHORITY - JESUS OF NAZARETH AND GOD'S ONLY SON!

The MAGNITUDE of our prosperity can only be achieved with TOTAL FREEDOM to reach our God given potential.

My company reached the size of a Megachurch, did it not? I had 25 full time employees, ran 18 trucks and became one of the largest Pest Control Companies in Central Florida. I was a former Regional Director for the Florida Pest Management Association. I sold MASTERGREEN in October of 2002. I paid off all my debts and put a sizable amount of money in the bank for the first time in my career. My practical experience has taught me why the Bible teaches it is important to be debt free. I am no longer a slave to any lender. Now I know what it is to be totally free in Christ Jesus.

I take no credit for these awesome accomplishments. It would not be AWESOME if Jesus did not help lead and carry the load.

"To God be the Glory!"

I started NoMoPest.com Pest Control Services with the intention of staying small and debt free to insure quality service with strong financial integrity. Look at this YouTube Video someone did for me free of charge showing my google reviews. I had a total of Ten Google reviews and none of them were less than Five Stars. I sold my Business in December 2016 and started Bible Think Tank Men's Mentoring Ministry.

As a result of my experience, I learned the importance of staying small because it is much easier to manage accountability and much more efficient in insuring financial integrity and intimacy between those we work with and those we serve. I have learned the more balls I have to juggle the chances of dropping one of them increases. In other words, don’t bite off more than we can chew. Another thing I learned is not to spread ourselves out too thin. In other words, concentrate on selling the product or service we are best at and let our competition take care of the rest. The quality of a finished product or service will diminish if we do not abide by this advice.

Have you noticed how much the crime problem in inner cities intensifies as the cities get larger in population?

BIGGER IS NOT BETTER IF QUALITY IS OUR MAIN CONCERN!

The size principle applies to church organizations as well. MEGA churches are a man made boondoggle and not in line with what is taught in Scripture.

Customer Service has always been my number one priority when serving those who utilize my services. My Company Slogan was...

"We have your PEST interest in mind"

It was based on a scripture found in Philippians Chapter Two. It says...

 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but also looking to the BEST INTEREST OF OTHERS.” 

This has always been my motto on how I treat all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, culture, class, degree of education, intellect, personality, politics, religious views and the like. It is also the major reason that God blessed my company to the extent He did. Jesus, my Supreme Authority, KNOWS I have His priorities in the right order and His principles are put in practice. My fruit production is direct evidence of His blessings. God has taught me that actions (our accomplisments in life) always speaks louder than words. Both of my former wives believe that their words have more merit than their actions. Go figure...

The political left thinks I am a racist because I voted for Donald Trump. I think a racist is the worse scum bag on our planet. You call me a racist and I will take you behind the woodshed and settle things the old fashion way. I have quite a reputation here in Central Florida as a youth in confronting bullies for their racist mindset towards those they deem inferior to themselves. Ask any of my three sisters if this is true or not?

Do you KNOW why bullying is out of control? It's because we do not confront bullies for their offensive behavior anymore. In other words, men in the church have been emasculated by the demonic spirit of feminism and progressive liberalism. This is confirmed in Point Three of my Thesis posted on this website. I have noticed that discipline in the church is so rare that it shocks people when they are confronted with their own sin, mistakes or bad behavior. President Trump is the first President in a very long time to have the balls to stand up to all the corruption, fraud and incompetence we see in our government and these deep state bureaucrats do not know how to deal with it because they were most likely raised by a permissive mom and are accustomed to getting away with incompetence, inferior work and a lack of production. Discipline and accountability are unknown practices in management of church operations. Do you agree with this premise?

Like King David, I have never been afraid to confront the Goliath's in the world. The liberal elites have this same type of bullying mindset towards those they think we are incapable of managing their own lives and need to be baby-sited by the government elite who think they know better on how we, "the deplorable's", should conduct our personal lives. I have never met a bully that wasn't a SMART ASS. Isn’t it funny that Democratic Party logo is an ASS? Smart asses always have a better idea, right? They are the BUTT of most of my jokes. 

Isn't it interesting how Liberal elites conveniently exclude God from their political thinking and talking points. Nothing new here. This is why the liberal elites have endorsed the Theory of Evolution as the only possible way we could have come into existence as a human race. To them, the possibility of a Creator of the Universe is a figment of our imagination. Only fools believe in God, right? Let me emphasize the following two truths...

• The Theory of Evolution is the biggest lie ever told mankind.
• Climate Change is second biggest lie professed by false prophets.

My mom was great at buying me books on subjects that interested me as a youth. One interest was meteorology. She thought I would be a great weatherman on TV. I know a lot about the weather and there has never been an Age where the climate did not change in dramatic ways. Don’t forget God promised there would never be another flood. These Climate Change activists are lying to you when they say major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Miami will be under water in ten years. Isn’t strange that former President Obama just purchased a multi-million dollar mansion on Martha’s Vineyard? It certainly pays to be a corrupt politician, does it not? Why would Obama buy this property if he thinks it would be under water in ten years because of Climate Change? I think another reason is he no longer feels safe living in the same town as President Trump. Have you noticed all the left's so called scientific findings on Climate Change are based on Junk Science paid for by our tax dollars? See past doomsday predictions that did not come true. Look how the Pope is blaming COVID-19 as a consequence of climate change. The devil is in the details. Too many details distracts from an effective resolution. Isn't this true?

Bottom Line: GOD CONTROLS THE WEATHER, NOT MAN!

Have you discovered that the deepest part of the deep state is centered within the wealthy New England elite who control the Ivy League Schools? An example of this deep state money are “the Kennedy’s”. Isn’t strange Harvard college’s mission statement in 1646 says…“Everyone shall consider the main End of his life and studies, to KNOW God and Jesus Christ which is Eternal life.” It was based on this scripture…John 17:3 . As we can clearly see Ivy League Schools have taken their eyes off of Jesus by inspecting the spoiled rotten fruit it produces.

This should prove those who are pushing this lie are false prophets. The Climate Change Lie (formally called Global Warming) will give Democrats an excuse for the need to raise our taxes to the point where they control 100% of our currency. This lie is an intimidation tactic designed to scare us into complying with their self-serving agenda. Once this corrupt scheme is achieved, they will replace capitalism with socialism in how we meet consumer demand. The government elite will now dictate what they think we need in supplies instead of what "we the people" think we need. They do this because they are POWER AND CONTROL FREAKS. They have the philosophy that he who dies with the most toys wins, right? Sadly, they don't realize that they can't take their toys with them when they die. It is treasures in heaven we are storing up to enjoy and prosper from once we get to our mansion coming down out of the sky as described in Revelation 21.  

Have you ever been around a "power and control freak"? Both of my former wives (very devout Baptists) definitely wanted to have power and control over me in our marriage. Feminists and Liberal Elites want us to consider them to be God instead of the God who authored the Holy Bible and created the Universe. As you know, mean girl Hillary Clinton (a devout "Holier Than Thou" Methodist elitist) thinks we are a "basket of deplorable's". If that is not a racist statement, I don't know what is. It's time we confront these bullies and let them know we will no longer let them use their fear tactics to intimidate us in to their way of thinking. All racists are bullies and have an extremely narrow or subjective mindset in their thinking process. This is especially true with many students who graduate from Ivy League Schools. Ivy League professors and students as a whole think that they are smarter, better educated and more “politically correct” than the average citizen. Their arrogant elitism is unmatched with any other group of people in my experience. The Hollywood and Religious Elite are right up there with them. Have you found this to be true?

No one likes a bully so let's call them out for what they are.

By now I hope you have a grasp on how vast my field of employment experience has been. This broad experience has enabled me to see the big picture. In other words, I can clearly see how everything is so intricately, intimately and intelligently networked together in the culture of Capitalism. I was not born with this knowledge, it was the “School of Hard Knocks” and my "Child-like Curiosity" that taught me this reality. Einstein came to the same conclusion with his theory of relativity.

Education – I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree in General Studies from the University of Central Florida in April 1983. Please understand I did not go to college so I could hang a college degree on my office wall. I learned a long time ago that having a diploma on your wall doesn't make you a know it all. I went to college to learn the subjects that I had an interest in knowing more about. The general studies degree gave me much more freedom of choice. The General Studies Major has proven to be very wise choice as I look back on my career. I minored in four colleges... Business Administration, Organizational Communication, Psychology and Russian History. I served as the Senator for the College of General Studies in Student Government and as the Veteran Affairs representative (a paid position) for Veteran students during my tenure at UCF. I attended Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in 1983. I also have an imaginary Doctorate degree in the School of Hard Knocks if you know what I mean. I graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando, FL in 1970. Lettered in Football and Track, an active member of Future Farmers of America and active member of the Thespian Drama Team. Davis Gaines was an active member of this team. I acted in and sung solos in many plays from 1st Grade all the way through 12th Grade. This acting experience helped me to put myself in other people’s shoes in order to act the part in the truest sense of the character being portrayed. I was born and raised in Central Florida. Yes, I am a true native Floridian. The fact that I am a Pre-Disney resident makes me prehistoric here in Orlando. Mickey Mouse and Shaquille O'Neal put Orlando on the map. I liked Orlando best before Disney got here. Too many people have what I call the "Mickey Mouse Syndrome". They pretend to be somebody they are not because Disney is all about fantasy rather than reality.

Other Skills and Know How – I am an excellent orator and writer who is proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Quickbooks and other computer programs and skills. As you can see, I created, wrote, designed and optimized this website using GoDaddy software. Look at this YouTube video of myself answering a question about SEO. I am the one with the dog. I consider myself to be an expert in all aspects of communications. I know what it takes to manage a company in terms of healthy growth while maintaining a high profit margin. I know most of our industry suppliers (vendors) and know how to negotiate bottom line in pricing (The Art of the Deal) when purchasing trucks, pest control products and equipment. I have good leadership skills and have trained many employees in the past to have successful careers in the Pest Control Industry.

Charitable Organizations – I was formerly active in the Orlando Jaycees, Past Regional Director for the Florida Pest Management Association, formerly involved in Church Mission Trips, Church Choirs, Evangelism Explosion and First Step Mentoring Ministry (now defunct) for fatherless Afro-American boys. John Tolson started this boys mentoring ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Orlando in 1993. Please see photo of the boys (now men) I mentored since the age of twelve. They were groomsmen in our wedding. I am a firm believer in being involved in the community by giving back my time, talents and treasures for the purpose of making our community a better place to live. I believe I have a good reputation with my former customers, employees and all of my peers in the industry. Sadly, this is not true within the Church community of Oviedo. My reputation has been ruined by certain members of Crosslife Church who maligned my reputation with malicious gossip within the Oviedo Community. My reputation is poor if you look me up on MyLife.com. How bad was Jesus’ reputation? It was SO BAD they crucified Him for it. God has blessed me with a large measure of faith to accomplish great things for His glory. I would have checked out of this world a long time ago if I did not have the faith to go on in life. No challenge is too great with God’s helping hand.

Military Experience – U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1975

I was selected as the Religious and Educational Petty Officer for my company of 80 men while in Boot Camp. I was trained in communications as a Radioman. I was issued a Top Secret Crypto security clearance after a very expensive and exhaustive background check by the FBI in order to work with the Top Brass in the Navy. Most of my tour of duty was working for Admiral David H. Bagley the Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington DC. I ended my tour of duty on the Flagship of the North Atlantic Fleet the "USS Mount Whitney". I accepted these orders rather than put in for extension of duty at my current duty station because it was a brand new ship, had the highest rated living conditions, top mess awards and was scheduled for a North Atlantic Cruise. This means we would be able to visit many ports of the Scandinavian Countries. I did not know a sailor who didn’t want to visit the port of Amsterdam, you know what I mean? Joshua and his men would have really enjoyed visiting the port of Amsterdam, don't you think? Once I got on board ship, I found out the North Atlantic Cruise was cancelled because of new EPA regulations. Navy ships could no longer dump their sewage into the ocean. Because of the priority of importance, our ship was immediately placed in the Naval Ship Yard in Philadelphia for a Satellite communications upgrade and to weld septic tanks into the hull of the ship. I obtained the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer (E-5) but was busted a rank for being AWOL once while in dry dock during this time. We were not at war and my position as a radioman was put on hold since our communication center was out of commission at the time. This was not considered a critical offense. Simply put, I came in late from an all-night drinking binge at the local bars with my closest friends on board ship. I would have finished my tour of duty with the rank of Second-Class Petty Officer (E-5) if this had not happened. All of us as Radiomen were very disappointed that we were assigned to fire watch duty since we no longer had a communication center to work in at the time. EPA required our ship to have septic tanks welded into the hull of the ship. Because of this, the Navy needed something for us to do so they created a Fire Watch division to give us something to do. Every weekday morning, they assigned us to a welder to make sure the welders did not catch anything on fire. The hull of  the ship is all metal and can't catch on fire. We had to sit all day long watching a welder with a CO2 fire extinguisher which was very boring to say the least. My welders name was Tony an Italian from South Philly. He always selected me for this task. We used to smoke joints together to help pass the time. He looked a lot like Jesse Waters from Fox News who is from Philadelphia but with much longer hair. He invited me over several times to eat dinner with his wife and family. He was a great guy. I will always cherish our friendship. Under normal circumstances, we would have been laid off from a private company since we were no longer needed in our job description. Our ship already had firemen on board who were specially trained for this duty. This kind of nonsense would lead most people to drink a lot, don’t you think? For every Navy story I tell, there are ten more at least. I got my street smarts in the Navy for which I am very blessed. The Navy was willing to give me a $10,000 re-enlistment bonus. No amount of money would entice me to re-enlist the way the U.S. Government treated me. This is when I learned what it is like to be owned by the U.S. Government. All of us will become a slave to the state in a Socialistic Government. I am considered a Vietnam Veteran. The GI Bill paid for my college education.

Condensed Summary of past positions held as follows:

• I grew up working on my Grandfather's Farm during the Summer.
• I maintained four neighbors lawns while in High School.
• I was a Bag Boy for Publix while in High School.
• Radioman Third Class Petty Officer (E4) for the U.S. Navy.
• Sporting Goods and Hardware Sales Clerk for JCPenny.
• Milk Wholesale Route Man for Borden's.
• Child Care Worker - Orange County Juvenile Detention Center.
• Carpenter for Darin & Armstrong. Helped build Spaceship Earth.
• Rental Sales Representative for Budget Rent-a-Car at OIA.
• Student Government Senator for my college major at UCF.
• Veteran Affairs G.I. Bill representative at UCF (a paid position).
• Sunday School Teacher, Choir Director and Youth Pastor.
• Certified Evangelism Explosion Trainer.
• Shoe Salesman for Belk while attending Seminary.
• Private Mail Courier while attending Seminary.
• Security Alarm Sales Consultant.
• Sales Technician for Middleton Pest Control.
• Sales Representative for Lewis-Cobb Pest Control.
• Sales and Marketing Representative for Massey GreenUp Lawn Care.
• Too many odd jobs along the way for me to list.
• Former Owner/Founder of MASTERGREEN Pest Control.
• Pest Control contributor on Newsradio WFLA Home & Hearth Show that aired on Saturday mornings. I also wrote and narrated my own commercials on this AM Station.
• Former Regional Director for Florida Pest Management Assoc.
• Former Owner/Founder of NoMoPest.com.
• Current Founder/Facilitator of BibleThinkTank.com.
• Current Website Builder, Designer, Writer and Optimizer.
• Current Elder Statesman who happens to be an Old Fart who gets no respect.

Please compare your credentials (fruit) with mine before you become too critical of what God compelled me write in this thesis. Who has a stronger poker hand for winning in the poker game of life, yours or mine?

Let me give you an illustration of what I am talking about. Let’s say you and I own and operate fruit stands at our local Farmer's market. People walking by will compare your fruit with mine. Based on our presentation, past customer satisfaction and the quality, quantity and variety of fruit sold at each of our stands, which of our fruit stands will be the most appealing to prospective buyers, yours or mine? Don't forget we are comparing resumes, right? The proof is in the pudding. This is why actions will always TRUMP words! Amen?

In closing, I would like for you to read an interesting news article about achieving financial independence. I agree with this young millionaire's perspective on how to view success and happiness while obtaining our dream job with the necessary income and benefits to provide for a happy, healthy and prosperous lifestyle.