Stories of Faith

Some gifts make an impact the moment they’re opened. Others sit quietly for years before God uses them in ways no one could have imagined.

When Mike Mason was nine years old, his grandmother gave him a Bible. Of all the things she could have given him, it seemed simple enough. At the time, he didn’t read it. In fact, it sat untouched for years. But he treasured it because it was the only gift she had ever given him.

Then one morning when he was fourteen, everything changed. “I woke up one morning and opened it up,” Mike remembers. “I started reading it, and I just kept reading.” That Bible became more than a keepsake. It became the foundation of his faith.

“I’ve read that Bible, I don’t know, 30, 40, 50 times from front to back.” For a kid whose life was constantly changing, God’s Word became the one thing that never did.

“I’ve read that Bible, I don’t know, 30, 40, 50 times from front to back.” For a kid whose life was constantly changing, God’s Word became the one thing that never did.

Mike grew up in an oil and gas family and moved often. Really often. Before graduating high school, he attended 19 different schools, including six separate stints in first grade. Most people would describe that kind of upbringing as unstable, but looking back, Mike sees God’s hand throughout it all. While towns, schools, and friendships changed, the Lord was quietly building something lasting in his life.

Eventually, Mike made a public profession of faith and was baptized at Hampton Place Baptist Church. As he grew in his faith, he also learned the value of hard work from his father and grandfather, both of whom worked tirelessly to provide for their families. That work ethic would carry him through college and into a career that would eventually take him around the world.

Mike worked his way through Oklahoma State University, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering while spending long hours on drilling rigs. Over the years, his career opened doors to places he never expected to go. From West Texas to Alaska, from London to remote oil fields in Russia, Mike found himself working in countries and cultures vastly different from his own. But one of the most significant chapters of his story happened in Colombia.

There, Mike met the woman who would become his wife, Liliana. He also met a missionary named Joel Stolte with Wycliffe Bible Translators. The friendship came at a time when Mike was praying for spiritual encouragement and community. During one conversation, Joel shared a simple challenge that Mike has never forgotten. “If you’re struggling to be a Christian in any way, pick one thing to be faithful to the Lord in. Don’t worry about everything else. Just pick one thing.”

Mike did. He chose to be faithful in giving. What began as a step of obedience became a lesson in trust. Along the way, God taught him that His blessings aren’t always measured in dollars or possessions. Instead, Mike found something far greater. Peace. Joy. Contentment in Christ.

As Mike’s career continued to expand, so did his opportunities to see God’s work across the world. He worshiped alongside believers from different backgrounds, cultures, and traditions. He met pastors, missionaries, Bible translators, and everyday Christians whose circumstances looked very different from his own. Yet one truth remained the same wherever he went. “He’s the same Lord Jesus Christ no matter where you go to church.” That perspective shaped the way Mike views the global Church. Despite differences in language, culture, or tradition, he has seen firsthand that followers of Jesus are united by the same Savior.

Today, one of the most meaningful ways Mike lives out his faith is through a simple practice that traces all the way back to his grandmother’s gift. He gives away Bibles. The habit grew out of gratitude for the people God used in his own story. A grandmother who placed God’s Word in his hands. A missionary who devoted his life to helping others read Scripture in their own language. Mike often thinks about how that Bible sat on a shelf for years before God used it to change his life.

What if someone else is holding a Bible today that God will use tomorrow?

“Because of my grandmother giving me a Bible, and because of what Joel Stolte did, I just give Bibles to people,” Mike says. “I believe that God’s Word does not return void.”

It’s a simple act of faith. Give away a Bible. Trust God with the results. Plant the seed and leave the growth to Him. And when Mike looks back over a life that has stretched from small-town Oklahoma to places most of us will never see, that’s exactly what he sees God doing all along. Planting seeds. Remaining faithful. And using His Word to transform lives. Including his own.