The Land of Ozz

About The Ozz

My real name is Hank Osborne. The name Hank has nothing to do with the name on my birth certificate. Hank was a nickname given to me at birth. My dad loved Hank Williams Sr.

I am a Christian conservative. I am the proud husband of Sherry and the father of three wonderful sons Riley, Caden and Josiah (JJ). Below are a few facts that may help you get to know me better.

I have been called many things other than Hank in my day such Ozzy, Oz, and Merdoc. One of the most popular names I have been called as an adult has been Oz. I have add the extra “z” to make the name a little more unique. So with the name Ozz being a nickname for me, The Land of Ozz is simply a way to state that this site is my personal blog.

The more popular nickname for me in high school was Merdoc. I was tagged with Merdoc after that goofy pilot character on the TV series The A-Team. I created my own spelling for Merdoc since there was no Internet or Google that could be used to find out how it was supposed to be spelled. As a teenager I was a student pilot, wore those silly Converse high top shoes, a leather jacket and a baseball cap.

Things I Love

God, my marriage, my children, my country, worshiping, blogging, and helping others. Other cool things include: airplanes, helicopters, grilling, cooking, computers, writing, reading, and more airplanes.

Core Beliefs and Testimony

I would define myself as a spirit-filled (most of the time) born again Christian. I say “most of the time” in reference to the spirit-filled part because I do leak and require regular refills like most Christians.

“I attended a Southern Baptist Church every Sunday for 14 years except for the Sunday when I got my tonsils taken out at 5 years old. And yes I was counting Sundays back then because there was a competition between me and a couple of other kids to see who could get the longest perfect attendance pen. The end result was that God made an impression on me by my early teen years. I committed my life to Christ at about 14 while attending a camp at Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly in NC.

Shortly after accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior, my parents separated. My mother, sister, and I left my dad after years of abuse. Our departure, led to my father’s attempted murder of my grandfather because my grandfather would not tell my dad where we had gone. My mom completed the divorce which I supported, but then she went back to my dad and remarried him a year later. I did not approve of the remarriage nor did I understand. My dad entered the ministry to become a Baptist preacher, but the abuse started back up almost immediately. At the time and for many years later I suspected that the entrance into the ministry was an effort to “prove” that he had changed. At 16, I ran from him and from God, literally. I was living alone in a two bedroom furnished mobile home and working a full time job when I graduated high school in 1985. Once in a while I would return to my parents home for short periods, but I could not stand to watch my dad give a sermon then only a half-mile away from the church while driving the car, he would reach over and backhand my mom for how she sat, or what she said, or who she talked to. Eventually my dad committed suicide. I had been long gone for several years and was living in Wyoming at that time. By the time of his death, he had completed college and was the senior pastor of a Southern Baptist Church. The last thing he did before pulling the trigger was to beat my mom worse than she had ever been beaten in her life.

From the age of 16 when I left home, there was almost twenty years of backsliding to what I thought was the point of no return. There is no need to go into that list of sins I committed, but it was bad. Just to throw out a few words like drugs, abortion, alcohol, and pornography should help you start to imagine. I completely avoided God, his people, and even the church buildings (except for a few weddings and funerals).

Then I met a wonderful young lady. My life had been a cakewalk compared to hers. Her testimony brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Her testimony is filled with stories of abuse and neglect all justified by the twisted interpretations of scripture by a family member. We fell in love. We both had committed our lives to Christ at a young age, but had very bad experiences with “religion” and suffering at the hands of “men of God”. Even with our experiences, we knew that we needed to bring our future children up in a Christian home. We started looking for a church and ended up visiting the church where we have been attending since 2001. On our first visit to this church, the pastor stood up in front of about a thousand folks on a Saturday night and taught on “Why God Allows Suffering”. The pastor did a great job that night and God spoke to both of us through that message. We continued to attend and eventually became members and volunteers. In 2003 I attended a men’s encounter weekend (i.e., encounter with God). It was the turning point in my life. That weekend I was taught for the first time what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. At the end of the weekend I confessed and repented of years of sins and asked God to fill me with the Holy Spirit, and he did. I have leaked and needed regular refills ever since, but the revelation that I got from that weekend was beyond what words can explain. I began to seek God’s plan for my life and put a priority on growing my relationship with Jesus Christ. Just a few months after the encounter weekend my wife and I both publicly recommitted our lives to Christ and were baptized again. We both continue to strive to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”

I have attended and severed as a volunteer at a Mega Multi-site Church (Seacoast) since 2001. I blog about Seacoast once in a while. I would classify myself as a little more charismatic than most if you can’t tell from my blog. I am a fan of contemporary Christian music as well as gospel with a little classic rock and country mixed in there once in a while.

My “How to Know Jesus” page can help you better understand my core beliefs and learn how to become a Christian. The primary qualification is to not be qualified at all.

Contact Information

Image of my email address

Education

Yes!

AS and BS with honors and about halfway done with a masters degree.

Location(s)

Current - Goose Creek, SC, USA since 2001

Past - I lived in North Charleston, SC for a few years prior to moving to Goose Creek. I grew up in Clinton, SC in a small house for the first six years of my life near the cotton mill that my Dad worked in. I then lived on a pig farm for the next ten years. I spent eight great years of my adult life in the wonderful state of Wyoming. I have visited most of the States of this great country.

States I have lived in - SC, NC, WY, and IL.

States that I have not lived in but have spent more than one month in - FL, GA, VA, TN, TX, NE, CO, CA and Washington D.C. (I know DC is not a state, but I am sure you get the point.)

Hobbies / Interests

Flying
Internet
Hunting
Shooting
Racing
Woodwork

Jobs / Work Experience

Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) - (current)
Blogging, Web Hosting and Administration - (current) - part-time
College Professor – part-time
Computer Network Security Engineer
Computer Systems Integrator
Network and Telecommunications Manager
Refinery Operations (Crude Oil Processing Unit, Boiler Plant, and Raw Hydrogen Generation Unit)
Oil Pipeline and transportation (Tank farm, truck and rail loading and unloading)
Locksmith
Maintenance Team Chief on Minuteman Missiles - (USAF Enlisted)
Low Voltage Electrician ( Licensed in Wyoming)
Private Investigator (Licensed in Wyoming)
Process Server of subpoenas and summons (Federal, State of Wyoming, and Local Courts in Cheyenne, WY)
Construction - roofing, electrical, and insulation
Burglar and Fire Alarm (Installation, Sales, and Service)
Food service - part-time (Cooking pizza and cinnamon rolls for various stores)
Retail sales - part-time (Various including - Cutlery, corner store as a kid, and auto parts)
Full-Service Gas Station Attendant
School Bus Driver (in SC as a 16 year old student driver in 1983-84)

Other Experience

County Aeronautics Commission Member
Carolinas Region President of Phi Theta Kappa
Church Performing Arts Volunteer
Community Theater Volunteer (numerous)
GFI Parenting Ministry Volunteer
Co-Chair of Angel Tree for Foster Children
Project Pilot Volunteer
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer