HIGH SCHOOL - I went to Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, graduating in 1976. I was a Freshman when Kelsey Grammer was a Senior. I remember him performing A Midsummer Night's Dream. My friend, Paul Opperman, did back flips on the stage. I think I may have played some trombone for another of his plays but don't recall. I was a springboard diver in high school, a very good one. My senior year I was the national champion for the Eastern Division. But I'm certain Kelsey wouldn't know who I was if you asked him. Another big name to have attended Pine Crest was Wayne Huzinga, but that was in the fifties, I think.

COLLEGE - I managed to get a four year scholarship to the University of South Carolina for my diving. But I discovered that I was physically limited in my ability to jump competitively with the Olympic level athletes. I could only get about 27 inches off the floor, whereas Greg Louganis, one of my competitors, managed 42 inches. My abilities quickly reached a plateau. I experienced something similar with my trombone playing so decided to study music composition rather than performance arts. It was a daring move since I had never written much. And it was a poor one as it turned out. Partly I was lacking talent. Partly I was lacking good guidance. I do wish my father had pushed me to study computer science or forced me to pick up a business degree. I don't think I would have regretted it. Computers were where my talents actually were only none of us knew it yet.

POSTGRADUATE - The one thing my study of music was good for was the discovery of God. I can credit Bach for this. Or at least for planting some seeds. After I graduated from college it was hard to find a good job. I didn't want to play trombone in night clubs. I wasn't good enough to play lead. I stunk at ad lib. And I hated noisy smoke filled rooms. Fortunately, I was well suited for church music. And just a few years after graduation both my father and I discovered Christ. He encouraged me to attend a Catholic Seminary, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. I got a job with the US Postal Service as a letter carrier and attended the seminary nights for about five years in the early eighties. I stopped about eight hours and a thesis short of a masters in theology on account of a lost final exam and a dispute about the Catholic Bishops assesment of the US Economy during a presidential campaign season. When I turned out to be a political conservative, based on my criticism of their report, the seminary decided it had no place for me. They no longer offered the courses I needed for graduation in the hours I could take them and they suddenly decided to make eighteen of my post graduate hours count as prerequisites. They then pulled a five year matriculation rule on me. I was forced out.

MASTER OF ESCHATOLOGY - I married a Protestant in 1990 and together we converted to Orthodox Christianity in 1992. I completed my Masters Degree at a small Orthodox Seminary in West Palm Beach called St. Michael Academy, where I also became an adjunct professor, graduating in 1995. I programmed their Library and Grading System at that time. And I also wrote a number of short text books for my students. Although the Seminary was Orthodox in name, it was untypical. There was a strong emphasis there on Biblical and personal prophecy. The seminary itself was called an "Academy of Eschatology." Altogether my tenure there was more harmful than helpful. My background alienates me from Protestants because of their preconceptions about Orthodoxy. And since St. Michael Academy is under the Ukranian Autocephalous Church in Exile jurisdiction, rather than the Greek, Russian or Antiochian, it is not respected. Its emphasis on prophecy only increases this disrespect. The bishop also is married, which is a big "no no" in their eyes.

PRACTICAL LEARNING - My computer skills were acquired on my own. I took a number of online courses and read tutorials as I purchased software. As well, I came up with a billion dollar invention called "clone and vary", which I sought to patent in 2000/2001 but didn't have the money to continue an extension on. I sought funding for a company I started but failed. I almost pulled off funding from first year profits but the company grew too quickly and I couldn't afford to support our development needs. We had over 100 million page views and hosted over 30,000 web sites that used the new technology. But I had to run it all from a single server, which was constantly crashing. I insist that the best way to learn a trade is to put your entire livelihood at risk. I lost everything I had and now I feel very old. Thus far in my life, it would therefore seem that I have failed at almost everything I have attempted. But if that is the case, why do I feel so rich? It is because I possess a number of things that money can't buy and a college education can't teach. This, of course, does not stop me from thinking I may one day complete a degree in computer science. For now, I am content to work on the web site you are reading right now until I feel it is finished. Once it is done, I will demonstrate how the manual version of my clone and vary technology works by offering components of this site to others to use (clone) and personalize (vary).

ECUMENICAL JUNCTION - My wife and I are attending Protestant Churches as well as the Orthodox Church and occassionally the Roman Catholic Church. Our primary church at this time is Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens. I have always felt that strong lay leadership is needed as a model for churches. So I suppose it serves me fair that I have never been able to get a job in a church that paid me a full time salary. There is probably some truth in my suspicion that each of the churches thinks of me as too much involved in the others to trust me. For many, to acknowledge that Christ is in all three camps is difficult or impossible. Bridges are sometimes lonely places. And you can see people drawing their weapons on either side. When you are on one side of a bridge or another it is easy to forget that the object of our faith and head of our church is Christ.

SUPPORTING EVANGELISM - If you have a seminary that will take me and would like me to serve as a paid minister, please, don't hesitate to call me with your support. It would make more sense to me to be ministering the gospel than to do courrier work. Of course, even Paul made tents. But then, didn't he also remind us that we are not to muzzle an ox while it is on the threshing floor? Alternatively, you could support me in my ministry of writing simply by clicking on the "donate" button to the left and making a financial contribution. Donations will be used for the further development of this site, which ultimately means evangelism.

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Useful sites for learning -
TECHNICAL
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