An Orphan's Tale ... Modern day, "Job."

Before I even knew what a pastor was, The Book of Job, in the Bible had always been my very favorite. I've been reading it since I was four. For most, this would seen a little morbid. For me, I could relate. In this, "introduceyourself" I want to let you know who I am though a series of events in my life that seem to horrible, AND too fantastical to believe at the same time. Maybe then you will understand why pastor's call me, The Modern Day Job.

I born into a very well known biker gang because my biological mother was a groupie of theirs. My mom's sister was a rival biker gang groupie. The fact that were both from what is known as 1% biker gangs was bad enough. The fact that they were sisters made it a feud for the ages... The picture above was the last picture taken of me before I was put up for adoption.

Right after this picture was taken my mom's boyfriend came home. He beat her because her sister was a rival associate and he was getting crap about it. He slammed my head up against the wall knocking me unconscious. He then proceeded to do things that I will only describe in my upcoming book, An Orphan's Tale. things you may not want to read. He did this to me because of the candy in my mouth, in this picture.

Most would think that once I was put into the system I was going to have a better life. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The foster care system I was placed into turned out to be nothing more than a human trafficking racket. I went through reportedly over 30 different foster homes in under sixteen months. I was only two and three at the time but I remember a lot.

The things that happened......will be with me forever.

Then I was adopted by a retired Brigadier General and his wife pictured below. I call them mom and dad. They adopted me while I was dying in a hospital from phenomena, malnutrition and the abuse I had been through. As to be expected the foster care system downplayed the abuse I had been through before the adoption. My mom and dad had no idea what they were getting into. To this day my dad can be quoted as saying, "there were very few parts of Michael that were not black and blue when when picked him up that day." Tears will still well up in his eyes.

But my dad was no slouch. He had a story to match mine and then some. He was a true fighter, survivor and will always go down as, my hero. He saved me, rehabilitated me and turned me into the person I am today. An Orphan's Tale is not about the journey of how I was saved. It's a story about how I tore his family apart, while being saved. I was not aware of what I was doing. I was not aware of my past dictating my actions and by the end of novel you will know that while I was adopted and saved, I left a trail of destruction and tears for those around me.

It is a road map for everyone to see how the system worked, what it takes to dig-in and help a child with my past, and a warning for what you might be bringing into your own home if you decide to make the same decision. It is written as fiction because I cannot verify everything nor do I want to disclose names and places. It's horrifying and inspiring, uplifting and destructive. It will challenge everything you know about humanity towards children and in some ways will give you hope for things you didn't know you could have hope in.

Just before I turned 17 I made my first life decision. To become homeless. Below is the film crew setting to film me in the alley I used to dumpster dive in.

I would only dumpster dive for blankets and trinkets. I was a waiter at a local restaurant and made good tips. Money was not the issue. Finding who I was as a person was. Living on the soccer field while finishing high school was not easy. But I learned what I needed to learn. Below is the photo shoot of me next to dumpster I used to street fight for and dive in.

Then the statistics caught up to me. I was to be a father. At 19 with no education, no family, no connections, but one thing I have never had in life..... Is fear.

I worked three jobs, rode a bicycle 30 miles a day to get to those jobs and in 9 months. I had a studio apartment waiting with a truck I bough back from my mom and dad. I had secured a commission job and became on of the top salespeople in the nation. I was millionaire by 24. A cocky, arrogant, broke millionaire that was about to have a few life altering events happen.

Statistics caught up to me again. Divorce. Nasty divorce over money. Boring I know but I was still angry, alone and confused. I made the worst decision of my life. I rebounded. Fell in love with the idea of being in love without being in love. Worst part was that I knew it. Every bone in my body told me not to do it and the moment I said the words, "I do", something inside me cried. I had no idea what was to come in the next couple years.

It wouldn't be fair to place blame for why my boys are gone. But they are gone. The prophetic weeping during my wedding vows had come full circle. This was not "karma." This was "freewill." I had made every decision leading all the way up to giving a eulogy for my boys in front of an estranged group of family with my only friend and witness being the Bishop of the church publicly denouncing the family for what they had done to me.

It wasn't all a tragity though. I met my mentor, Zig Ziglar and went through his training program, Train The Trainer. I became a very well know sales trainer and found professional success that proceeded my age. Professionally I was a rock star but personally I was a train-wreck.

I didn't care. I was determined to hit the re-set button. I turned to my two daughters and my personal goals into my sole focus and it all started with the new attitude I was going to have to adapt in life which was.....

(Turtle wins the race)

I made back my millions and then some by building programs that can truly help people with their finances. Developed programs no one had ever seen and that everyone wanted to buy or steal.

I decided to marry and have children again even after the death of my boys. I met an amazing woman who was patient with me, accepting of my past and wanted children also.

We started to rebuild when a couple of statistics caught up to us with our first two boys. My oldest boy at the age of 1 was diagnosed on the "Autism" spectrum. We were preparing for a special needs care for the rest of his life when we found out Raymond was going to be born. Just as Raymond was getting ready to be born we found out that my oldest son had been taken out of the "spectrum." Our Prayer's had been answered.

Then Raymond was born. We call him our "million dollar baby miracle baby." He had two collapsed lungs and phenomena when he was born. They gave him a 10% chance of living and flew him to Denver Ni-cu for the first few weeks.

Not only was the nest egg we had build completely gone but my company customer service and taxes fell out of par because of the medical attention that Raymond needed. To tell you the truth between taxes, cancelled contracts and lawsuits due to a neglected model. I don't remember much other than Raymond is alive and healthy today and I would do it all over again to have him here with us today.

It was not money that saved both of my boys from the challenges they faces so early. It was the love of my wife, daughters and I that saved them both. The amount of time we committed to them is a testimony to the power of LOVE.

So why do pastor's call me, Job? Because like Job, I got it all back.....

I lost 100 lbs a ran a mountain race with kidney stones and walking phenomena because I had trained a year for the race and lost all that weight. I could die on the mountain for all I cared. I was going to run it no matter what. My wife who was my girlfriend at the time told me not to.. She is a professional photographer and took a photo of me peaking that mountain while passing the stone moments before....she laughed and said "you chose to so I can make fun of you." She even posted it on my social media later.... I was in pain. Lots and lots of pain....

But.... I didn't die. So like Forrest Gump, I kept running. I have ran most Rocky Mountain runs and peaked some of the highest mountains in some of the hardest races.

The I started training other athletes and ended up being the personal trainer for two of the fastest high school runners in New Mexico at the time. One of them my daughter. I took them on a mountain race they both said they couldn't complete......they were both top finishers....15 miles.....15k peak summit :) They both took 1st in their categories and in most other categories as well.

Then I did something crazy and decided to take on one of the world hardest races and run with a 35lbs+ ruck sack with 35 lbs ruck for 26.2 miles on the White Sands Missile Range to honor our soldiers. I trained for two years . It was one of the most grueling training regiments i have ever completed, the most painful race I have ever ran....... and i took 1st place in civilian 5th overall!! It was the Bataan Death March. It lived up to its name. My muscles hemorrhaged for 2 months after.

I had two more children with my wife giving us four together. The number of children I had lost in 2007, giving me six healthy children to raise call a family of my own.

My business model flourished.

I met famous multi-millionaire's while hosting my own financial and political talk show...

Signed book deals solidifying my place to become a nationally recognized financial expert in the near future ...

Sometimes....I just fall asleep. My wife likes to take pictures and poke fun at me the next morning when i do this because I seem to fall asleep in the most impossible of positions and she doesn't know how.

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Most of the time you will find me in the Mountain's flying my drone with my boys.... making memories in nature.

Or I will be helping people and business solve their money problems.

Because my passion is my God who created me no matter what challenges he has given me the strength to face.

My family who is my future and the essence of everything that I hold dear.

The life work, of learning the language of money, reverse engineering its mechanisms and putting it into products that can help people NOW with their money problems. WHY? .... because I had no one there for me when I needed to do that. I thought it would be nice for other to have it...if it could be created. I created it.

The rest of the world is a playground. A high stakes playground filled with risk and reward. One I will gladly live the rest of my life living to the fullest....just like I always have.

Every tragedy does not end in tragedy. Job taught me that. No matter how bad it got, not matter who turned their back or betrayed him..... God, gave Job back more than he had lost. I believe in the same God. Always have. So i knew he would do it for me too. No matter how many times I had lost what I had gained in life.....

I know that He will and HAS done the same for countless others. I can't wait to meet them. I can't wait to hear and read their stories. I believe these people will come from every walk of life. Every religion. Every race and social status. You are out there. Please publish your story. People like me are waiting to read it!!

No I don't care about millions. I care about a beautiful wife, 6 children and giving them the best life possible while living life to the fullest ourselves. It's about lifting others up in their time of need and helping them in their challenges. Money comes and goes but these memories and milestones DO NOT!!..

This is who I am and I look forward to getting to know some of you better!