"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23,24).
 
I am thankful I was raised in a loving, caring home by parents who loved the Lord. My grandparents were Christians as well, so I'm sure you’re not surprised to learn that I put my trust in Jesus when I was 5.

I'll never forget the day. I was under my cousin Russ's bed and we were talking about what would happen if we were blown up or if the world blew up or ... you get the idea. Well, Russ asked me what I thought would happen. I knew what to say right away," We'd go to heaven!" Then he asked a tougher question, "Why?" "Because we're Christians I said!" Then he asked an even harder question, "How can you be sure?" That one I didn't know. Then he said, "Would I like to know?" And I nodded.

He explained that Romans 10:9, says," That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." He went on to tell me why God would do this by sharing what it said in John 3:16; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him, would not perish, but have eternal life." Even at 5 years old, I could understand the need to be saved and prayed with my cousin right there under the bed.

I wish I could tell you that from then on I grew in my faith and devotion to God, but I took a path widely traveled by those who don't know God. Through my teen years I was more interested in sports and girls than God. Don't get me wrong. I went to church and youth group and said all the right things. I even started a Bible study for the football team my senior year.

But, I was living a double life. The "good" life people saw at church and my real life that God saw. You see, I trusted in Jesus for my salvation and knew the Bible was his written Word. But, I wasn't committed. I didn't want to give God my plans, my dreams, my life. I knew what I wanted; to be a Pro football player and then a successful businessman. I was afraid God would try to change that.
 


Living two lives like that is very unfulfilling and by the time I was a senior in High school I began to realize that I needed to get things right with my Savior. It was crystal clear that I had to make a choice to either be a committed Christian or turn my back on God at Penn State. As a freshman football player at Penn State, I was exposed to every imaginable temptation under the sun. And it was then that I knew I needed to make a stand for my beliefs, not anyone else's. And I'm glad to say that with the Lord’s power I was able to commit wholly to the Lord my life, my dreams, and my plans. 

And you know what? God blessed me beyond what I had dreamed. Our football team won the National Championship the next year and I was a starter for 3 years and got to play in 3 bowl games!





Then God blessed me with a great wife and 6 healthy, beautiful children. And to top it off, I have had the awesome privilege to work with my father managing the various businesses that he has started.
 
God has been good, but understand I am giving you the highlights. I have had a share of heartaches and tough times too. But the Lord has been there along side me, encouraging me and protecting me every step! It is my prayer that all that read my story would accept the Lord as their Savior and make a decision to serve Him as a committed Christian. May God richly bless you!


Mike Stillman

Mike Stillman is a businessman in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the president of Mac-It Corporation, the original manufacturer of the hex wrench.

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An additional note from Mike and his wife Michelle:

Many times it is difficult to fully express in words the depth of how deeply something touches our hearts or moves our spirits. The majestic sun rise over a calming ocean after a passing storm, or the angelic sound of your child’s first cry as she first enters this earth are just some of the earthly miracles that fall upon us that many times cannot be adequately described with just mere words. Somehow, words just seem not to be enough to describe the power or the majesty behind certain events.

So describes a recent occurrence that has become a part of our life. We do believe that if we were a painter we might be more capable of being successful in describing the value of which the two of us have gained from what we are about to tell you, than we are trying to right now with words. Words just aren’t descriptive enough to fully express our heart to you at this time.

Many of you have been aware that we have been a part of a discipling class called Christ Quest Institute (CQI). Nearly three years ago we embarked on a journey that has remarkably challenged and changed our hearts for the good. It all began with a book that a friend gave us, and a seminar that followed.

This book, "Discovering the Mind of a Woman", by Ken Nair has so challenged both of us in the quest of becoming more like Christ more than any other thing in our lives, including our years of being raised in the church as well as taking advantage of the things learned at Bible College. These things have been good, but have paled in comparison to the truths that we learned and have applied to our lives from CQI. Many of us honestly do want to lay down our own lives and follow Christ, but what does that really mean, and how can we do it? This seminar is a wonderful building block on which we learned how to do just that.

The most incredible part of this is though Ken Nair’s ministry is based in Phoenix, AZ, he travels to our area…Carlisle, PA, once a year for this seminar.  Both Mike and I would love to have you join us. It is easy to register online. Please seriously consider attending.  We know it will be time well spent!

Mike and Michelle

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Steps to becoming a Christian
 
Several of Mike’s favorite Scripture verses:
 
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4: 6,7).

"I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2,3).

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