At the age of 12 he resolved to become a champion bodybuilder and actor after looking in the mirror and feeling that he was "so skinny he could duck raindrops".

He grew up in a rough area, white in a black neighborhood, surviving numerous death threats, but remained focused.

There he met Joe Abbenda who became his mentor, along with Bill Pearl, advancing his training sessions to 5 days a week.

[5] In the 1970s he appeared on the cover of magazines such as Muscle & Fitness, Muscular Development, Iron Man, and Strength & Health.

[1][8] He boasted that he earned millions and loved life in the fast lane, including making $1000 a week from arm wrestling alone.

[1][9] In prison he met a preacher who told him that God had big plans for him and that it was his destiny to become an international evangelist.

[1] He confesses to having been "struck by a lightning bolt from heaven and have his life flash before his eyes" after praying to God to pardon his sins and becoming a Christian.

[1] On being released from prison, he established the Dennis Tinerino Ministries based in Beverly Hills in 1979, becoming an international evangelist.