VR FOR MAIN STREET
In 2017, I started VR Ministry as my first attempt to use Virtual Reality for meaningful human connection. I recorded simple immersive 360-degree videos to help people feel present, centered, and connected to their own story. I wanted to understand how VR could support memory, reflection, and a sense of continuity between where someone came from and where they stand now. I treated each recording as a learning step. I studied what worked, what did not, and what created a real sense of presence. Those early efforts helped me develop the broader idea that technology can strengthen community identity rather than replace it. VR Ministry gave me the first proof that immersive tools can carry personal history forward in a living way. That insight shaped the foundation for the vision that eventually became Main Street Smart Cities.
LAUNCH OF VR MINISTRY
In 2017, I started VR Ministry as my first attempt to use Virtual Reality for meaningful human connection. I recorded simple immersive 360-degree videos to help people feel present, centered, and connected to their own story. I wanted to understand how VR could support memory, reflection, and a sense of continuity between where someone came from and where they stand now. I treated each recording as a learning step. I studied what worked, what did not, and what created a real sense of presence. Those early efforts helped me develop the broader idea that technology can strengthen community identity rather than replace it. VR Ministry gave me the first proof that immersive tools can carry personal history forward in a living way. That insight shaped the foundation for the vision that eventually became Main Street Smart Cities.
ALIGNMENT WITH CHRISTMAS STAR DAY (2020)
Alignment matters because it changes the way a mission moves. When I released VR Prayers and VR Ministry on Christmas Star Day, it felt like the first moment when purpose and timing finally came together. Before that, the work always felt important, but it did not feel settled. That release gave me clarity. It showed me that momentum arises when direction and intention support each other rather than pulling apart. It confirmed that the work was moving in the right direction and at the right moment. That day reminded me that progress is about the direction that feels true. When everything lines up, the mission stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural. That is what alignment gave me.
PROJECT PIERCING GLIMPSE
Project Piercing Glimpse became a five-year mirror that looked deeply into how Main Street could rise again. It explored how community, commerce, and compassion could thrive together in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The project was launched after the book launch.
Over those years, five verticals took shape — Retail 4.0, Restaurant 4.0, Hotel 4.0, Senior Living 4.0, and Hospital 4.0. Each one taught us that progress without people isn’t progress at all. This project produced books and frameworks, yes, but more importantly, it produced faith — a belief that local values could guide global innovation.
Piercing Piercing Glimpse prepared the ground for something extraordinary yet to come.
MAIN STREET INNOVATORS
Alignment matters because it changes the way a mission moves. When I released VR Prayers and VR Ministry on Christmas Star Day, it felt like the first moment when purpose and timing finally came together. Before that, the work always felt important, but it did not feel settled. That release gave me clarity. It showed me that momentum arises when direction and intention support each other rather than pulling apart. It confirmed that the work was moving in the right direction and at the right moment. That day reminded me that progress is about the direction that feels true. When everything lines up, the mission stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural. That is what alignment gave me.
A SMART CITY ROADMAP
By 2024, the blueprint was clear. Main Street Smart Cities emerged as the framework that connected everything — history, innovation, people, and place. Each vertical came together under one purpose: to blend heritage with horizon.
It wasn’t just about tech adoption; it was about emotional architecture — building spaces where kindness, learning, and belonging could grow. I often tell people, “This is what it looks like when the past and future shake hands.”
The framework proved that we don’t have to choose between nostalgia and progress — we can walk both roads at once. And that’s the beauty of the bridge we’re building.
PROJECT RELEASING FULCRUM
On September 23, 2024, the bridge became real. Project Releasing Fulcrum — the launch of San Diego 4.0 — revealed twenty-first-in-the-world projects that carried Main Street’s heart into a new century.
The date aligned with Luke 09:23–24, reminding us that true leadership requires surrender: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” That verse became my compass.
Releasing Fulcrum wasn’t about control; it was about letting go so something greater could rise. Faith, courage, and community converged that day — proving that Main Street can still lead humanity forward.
THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF MAIN STREET
As I look back on this journey, I see more than milestones — I see grace stitched into every detail. From the pond to the present, this has always been about something greater than me: a promise that faith and innovation can walk hand in hand to serve others
San Diego 4.0 isn’t the ending; it’s the beginning of a new Main Street story — one written by families, dreamers, teachers, and leaders who believe that the best days of our communities are still ahead.
The bridge we’ve built is open to everyone who feels called to carry hope forward. Because the future isn’t somewhere we go — it’s something we create together. And if this story has found you, perhaps it’s because you’re meant to build a bridge of your own.