Mike was raised in a loosely religious family, first encountering Christ at a Bible Camp. While he chose to be baptized as a teenager, his faith remained surface level, seeing it more as a ticket to heaven than a true relationship. It wasn’t until the tragic events of 9/11 that he began to take these questions of faith seriously. Shortly after, a former teammate reconnected with him and offered mentorship, guiding him through the Gospel of John and helping him grasp his faith's true meaning. This transformative experience led Mike and his wife to commit to their lives to Christ together, strengthening their faith and marriage.

Years later, Mike and his wife were forced to deal with the tragic loss of their teenage son, Cole, in an accident. While grappling with profound grief, they received unexpected comfort through a woman who shared a spiritually vivid dream she had had about their son that brought them peace and strengthened their commitment to live out their faith and share God’s love with others.

"He’s my savior. He's my friend. He's my counselor. He's my comforter. He's my God, you know, he is my hope. Without him, I look around and I just think, man, if I did not have the Lord to lean on right now and, and seek advice and wisdom and, and comfort from in this crazy world… I just can't imagine what this life would be like right now. I mean, this would be a terrible place to live, wouldn’t it?”

Mark grew up in a home devoid of love. Despite attending a Seventh-day Adventist school, the spiritual teachings of his childhood felt distant and irrelevant compared to the harshness of his home life. His father was emotionally and physically abusive, referring to Mark and his brother as "slaves" and beating them for minor infractions if his rules were not kept. One particularly traumatic incident involved Mark being severely beaten for eating “too much deli meat,” further instilling a sense of worthlessness that permeated much of his early life.

This sense of feeling worthless defined Mark for much of his childhood, resulting in apathy and failing grades in school, despite the reprieve school and church had been from the abuse of home. Mark even attempted to take his own life, though the grace of God saved him. It wouldn’t be until Mark was 23 when his best friend, a recent Christian convert, told Mark that he valued him and wanted him to study the Bible together. Mark eagerly agreed and learned that God was real and actively pursuing a relationship with him, something he had never experienced before.

Today, Mark works as a site director for Youth for Christ, mentoring middle school students. His past experiences allow him to connect deeply with young people who are struggling, especially those contemplating suicide.

“Who is God to you?”

“The friend who chose me first.”

You can check out the amazing work Mark and others are doing over at Youth for Christ.

Graham Stanford grew up in Yorkshire, England. He did not grow up in a churched environment, or have any longing to pursue faith or church; his only love was soccer. Yet, despite being involved in soccer, he desired to seek and find truth in his life. While attending a youth club, a friend introduced him to Christ, leading him to embrace faith after learning about Jesus’ message: "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

With an emphasis the “greatest life" he found in the fulfilling promise and direction of Christ, Stanford founded “Greatest Life Ministries” to spread this message to others. The ministry revolves around sharing the gospel and empowering individuals to live this greatest life through Christ. Graham has been sharing this message for over 60 years, traveling and speaking, especially to young people.

Join the Greatest Life Ministries team as they discuss the amazing work God is doing through them, some of their major faith inspirations, and living out a practical Christian life.

Check out Greatest Life Ministries