There was a time when I felt driven, which profoundly impacted me and helped me understand the principles of entrepreneurship. I remember leaving Home Depot with my first wife, with whom I shared 25 years of marriage before she passed away and went to heaven. We were stopped at a light next to Burger King when I saw a young man holding a sign that read "Need Food." He appeared clean-cut and didn’t resemble the typical homeless person. The Holy Spirit tugged at my heart. I turned around and entered the Burger King drive-thru, ordering a large Whopper combo with two large waters. When I reached the light, where the young man stood to my left, I handed him the Burger King bag along with the drinks. I also included a Bible and a salvation tract. He smiled broadly and said thank you. As I drove away, he called out to his wife at the corner near Burger King. He yelled, "I got some food for you!" I glanced over and saw a young lady with a child. He waited for the crosslight to turn green and hurried over to her. They both looked at me and said thank you.

I visited the Chico Mall every Thursday for eight months and enjoyed Strawberry Banana Crepes from a shop across from the jewelry department. This was back when the Chico Mall had a food court. During one of my many visits, someone approached me and said, "Here you go! We had a girl." I was trying to recall where I had seen her before. She told me that her husband was doing very well and that she was working at the mall. Then she handed me a bluish envelope and mentioned that the Burger King meal was great before walking away. After finishing my snack, I returned to my red Dodge Durango SUV. Inside the envelope was a cashier's check for $5,000. I wept and prayed to the Lord. I was short on my budget that month because the government had decided to charge me for personal military gear that I hadn’t turned in. With that money, I could take care of some household needs. But the blessings didn't stop there.

I was watching Shark Tank and heard about a product called Ruckpack, designed by military officers. To make a long story short, they secured a contract with Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary). I decided to visit their website and order a product and fell in love with it. They have a program to help veterans become distributors in their area, so I signed up. I used the leftover money I received from the lady to buy products to start my business. When the products arrived, I created my business cards and obtained a Butte County license. I began visiting gas stations, asking if they would carry Ruckpack and explaining the profit margins. It went very well. Every Tuesday, I checked each store to ensure they had products and simultaneously expanded to more locations. My business grew to the point where I could rent a small warehouse to store the products and set up a phone line, complete with a small desk and computer. I was off to the races!

Then, I decided to expand and ventured into retail. It required a lot of paperwork and phone calls, but I got the product into Walgreens. I was doing well when they invited me to fly to San Diego to meet Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary). They covered all the expenses, and I spent a week learning how to succeed. He taught us how to be the best. He said success isn't just about working hard; it's about working late. We spent half days with him for five days and enjoyed evening meals together. It was an incredible experience, and in the picture below, you can see many business owners who achieved their potential as well. By the way, they are all veterans.

All of this began when the Holy Spirit touched my heart to help a young man and a woman with a child. Since then, I have never ignored the Spirit and always assist those in need whenever possible.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:17: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."

Now you understand that I am Holy Spirit-driven. Thank you, and I will see you next month.