I am, without a doubt, the most stubborn person I know.  I was raised in a church family, and by the time I reached my 20’s, I decided that I didn’t need to go to church.  I was a fundamentally good person, a hard worker, and I was generally fair and polite to others. In …

Steve Smith: All I Can Say is “WOW!”Read More

I grew up in the Baptist church all my life, got up and sang numerous Sundays, was in the choir, and rejoiced every time some one asked Jesus to “come into their heart”. I was active in the children’s ministry, and thought I was a model christian. On the weekends I would party with friends …

Courtney Holbrook’s StoryRead More

I was brought up in a Baptist home in southeast Missouri. Went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. I started going to church camp when I was eight. My second year at church camp I said the sinners prayer. I truly believed I was saved. When I was 12 my sister decided she wanted to …

Melissa Rachels’ StoryRead More

Dear Mike, Tonight, October 23rd, 2013, Gabrielle Miller was baptized into Christ! She had been thinking about it for a while, but a couple of days ago her mother-in-law Donna (a faithful member of our church) shared Muscle and a Shovel with her. She was moved by your story and came after church tonight and …

Gabrielle Miller Baptized!Read More

Mike, I just finished your book tonight. Tomorrow I will be in your class at Harding. I was baptized by poring of water on my head when I was 19 years old by a Catholic priest. I am now 69 years old will be 70 next month. For 40 years I was in the world, …

John Byrd: From Mass to TruthRead More

Michael, Three members of Kensington Woods church of Christ, Roger, Lori, and my wife Kim own a local restaurant in Hattiesburg. Andrew is one of the cooks and Brooke is a waitress. Roger bought several copies of Muscle and a Shovel and gave one to Andrew with some words about of all the things that …

Brooke and Andrew Adcock’s StoryRead More

If you’ll remember back a few issues ago a young lady named Ariel Lafleur was baptized into Christ after being taught the gospel by her boyfriend, Jacob Rutledge. You’ll need the back-story to really appreciate what happened. Jacob found Muscle and a Shovel in a local library, picked it up, read the back cover, checked …

Jacob Rutledge’s StoryRead More

My name is Brittany Holloway. I am 24 years old and have been married to my amazing husband, Josh, for 3 1/2 years. Together, we have a wonderful, one of a kind, 20 month old son named Jackson. My husband was raised in the church, however, I was not. I was raised and ‘baptized’ in …

Brittany Holloway Story: Grab a Tissue!Read More

Dear Mr. Shank, First and foremost I would like to thank you for sharing your story. It is incredibly inspiring and it’s because of your honesty and courage that I can call myself a Christian today. You see, my entire life I’ve known two things. The first being that Jesus loves me: always has and …

Jordan Butler’s StoryRead More