My Bio and Testimony

MY BIO AND TESTIMONY :
( Above is my wonderful and God-Given wife of 33 1/2 years - Gerri , and myself - taken on Resurrection Sunday - April 12,2009 - outside our Church in Hollywood , Fl )

Born (into sin) : November 4th , 1953 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin

Grew up and raised in Miami , Fl

Saved By THE GRACE OF GOD : July 13 , 2007 : Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Buried with Christ by Baptism into His Death , and Raised with Christ to newness of life, cleansed of my sins by His Precious Blood : November 4, 2007 .

EDUCATION : Attended public and parochial elementary and high schools ; Graduated from Hialeah High Adult Education Center ( 1973 ) .

Attended and Completed Basic Florida Law Enforcement Police Academy ( Inverness , Fl ) 1980 .

Attended and completed Criminal Justice Courses at Palm Beach Community College (Lake Worth , Fl ) and Broward Community College ( Davie , Fl ) ; Various dates from 1983 - 1996 .

CURRENTLY :  Pursuing my  Bachelor of Biblical Studies (BBS) Degree , with a concentration on Pastoral Ministry via Distance Learning (DL) online studies .

MILITARY : U.S. Marine Corps ( 1971 - 1973 ) ; 1st Btn , 2nd Marine Division , Fleet Marine Force (FMF) ; Honorably Discharged with the rank of Corporal .

U.S. Army ( 1975 - 1976 ) ; assigned with U.S. Army Intelligence Center & School , Ft. Huachua , AZ , and 2nd Armor Division , Ft. Hood , TX .

FAMILY : Married , to wife , Gerry since October 16 , 1975 . Two children , Son , Dylan (age 15 1/2 ) , and Daughter , Ciara (age 14 1/2 ) .

CAREER : Police Officer in the State of Florida from 1980 - 1997

CURRENTLY : Hospital Security , Aventura , Fl - since September , 2001

OTHER :

BORN AGAIN IN CHRIST : July 13, 2007

Ordained by the Words of JESUS CHRIST ; " Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. " ( JOHN 15:16 )

Baptized by immersion : November 4 , 2007 at Sheridan Hills Baptist Church , Hollywood , Fl

I was born November 4th , 1953 , the youngest of five children . I have three brothers and a sister , NONE of whom - I am sorry to say have been Saved - my oldest brother , who is a VERY intelligent person , has a Masters degree and is a former college professor , is an  atheist . I CONTINUE , however , to Pray for HIS Salvation . With God - ALL things are POSSIBLE !! I ALSO would ask ALL Christians who come across this page , to PLEASE Pray for his Salvation as well - " More things are wrought through prayer than this world dreams of," wrote Alfred, Lord Tennyson 150 years ago. Today, a new scientific study every month seems to back the poet up. In November it was Duke University Medical Center's published finding that patients receiving coronary stents who were prayed for had better outcomes than those who were not prayed for.  

Anyway , to continue , we were brought up and raised as Catholics , went thru the Catholic Sacraments , and I attended Catholic schools in the 1st, 2nd , 3rd , 5th , 6th and 9th grades. All of us boys even served as Altar Boys. The strange thing is - I can not remember ever reading and/or studying the Bible as a catholic ., and it took me more than half my life to see that Catholicism is based on MANS LAW ( i,e., the Pope) as opposed to GODS LAW !! ( See my "testimonies" page from a former catholic Nun and Priest ) . Additionally , as I grew older , I began to see the blatant hypocrisy in catholicism . Most of the sermons by the priests had more to do with getting you into the Bingo games and going to their carnivals and playing the crooked 'games of chance' than ministering the Word of Our Lord and Savior . The bottom line was - and sadly - STILL IS - that the catholic 'powers that be ' still preach to their followers that they can ' buy ' their way into heaven .

Now , admittedly, I was no 'choir boy' growing up . It seemed I was always getting into fights - both in school and in the neighborhoods where I grew up - winning some and losing some . My mother told me that when I was in the 2nd grade , I was given the nickname , "The Fightin' Stahl."  Guess it was true , and I won't deny it .

As the years passed , and I entered my senior year of high school , I was really getting 'antsy' - I wanted more than anything to be a UNITED STATES MARINE . I couldn't wait to join . Of course , my oldest brother , Phil - even back then , was a naysayer , as he once made the comment to me , " Mike , if you couldn't pass a high school physical exam for the football team , you'll NEVER pass the physical to get into the Marines." ( In the 9th grade , I DID fail the physical exam when I wanted to be on the football team - due to a "rapid heart beat" .) I DID however , pass a physical exam for the gymnastics team in my sophmore year .

When I turned 17 on November 4th , 1970 - I had made up my (stubborn) mind that I was NOT going to wait to join the Marines . One morning , I awoke early , and went into my sister's room and told her , "I'm running away . Tell mom and dad that I'll come back when they sign for me to go into the Marines." You see , since I was not yet 18 , I needed my parents permission . I slept in a friends car that night and hitch-hiked around town , until I decided to take a bus to downtown Miami , where my second oldest brother , Johnny , worked . He had been in the Navy from 1968 to 1970 , and my middle brother , Jerry , was still on active duty in the Air Force .  When Johnny got off work , he called my Mom and I talked to her , also - she finally said , "OK , Mike , if that's what you REALLY want , come home with Johnny , and dad and I will sign for you to go into the Marines." 

When I got home , My Dad , who served 38 months overseas during  WW II in the Army , was very calm as he talked to me.  He told me to call the marine recruiter , which I did the following day , and my parents both signed for me - of course , I had to pass the 'dreaded' tests - BOTH written and PHYSICAL . I DID (obviously) pass them , and on January 12 , 1971 , I recieved my papers to report to the Armed Forces Entrance and Examination Station (AFEES) in Coral Gables , Fl on February 1st, to get officially sworn in and leave for the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot , Parris Island , South Carolina.  

 Looking back , I KNOW that even back then , The Lord was with me , protecting me . I KNOW this NOW , but didn't then , as while in the Marines , it seemed no matter where I was stationed , whether on the USS CORONADO for six-months of 'sea-duty' , whether it was in desert training at 29-Palms , California ; whether it was for civil disturbance duty at Camp Vieques ,Puerto Rico ; or at my 'home' base with the 1st battalion , 2nd Marine Division- Fleet Marine Force ,  at Camp Le-Jeune , North Carolina , I was drinking , fighting , and womanizing. In spite of it all , I managed to work my way up to the rank of Corporal (E-4) , which in the Marines was a Non-Commissioned Officer , and was a squad leader as well as , at times , an acting platoon Sergeant.  I was Honorably discharged  from active duty on January 31st , 1973 and returned home to Hialeah , Fla.

  I wound up getting an apartment for $35 bucks a week in Hialeah , and was working at a place that made copy machines (that my Brother , Jerry got for me) and I was an "electro-mechanical technician" - sounds BIG , Huh ? But it was nothing more than a glorified factory job where you tied those 'tie-wraps' around wires all day . Eventually , I got a transfer as a "Chemists Assistant" in the chemical lab - which , again , was doing nothing more than testing the viscosity of the copy machine liquid toner all day - but hey , it paid a little over 3-bucks an hour , which wasn't too bad back then .

 Of course , at night , I still 'bar-hopped' and seemed to get in a fight or two - I recall one night , a buddy and myself were in this bar , and some guy was 'running his mouth' , and I (being drunk myself) , went up to 'belt him' , when all of a suden I saw him pull out a pistol - OH , OH !! THAT 'sobered' me up REAL GOOD , and we 'beat-feet outta there . I was waiting for a bullet to hit me in the back at anytime . Again , I KNOW that the Lord's hand HAD to be on me then .  BUT . . did THAT deter me from my evil ways ?? NOPE !! I simply went out and bought a double barrelled .38-special derringer that I carried WITH ME into the bars from then on - and I THANK-GOD , to this day , that I didn't have to use it - had it NOT been for the Lord looking out for me , who knows ? I could very well have ended up in prison - or worse - DEAD !! I even bought a Remington , Model 67 ; 12-gauge pump shotgun , that I kept by my bed in my apartment , and at times carried it my car - talk about STUPID !! , Huh ??

ONE POSITIVE thing that DID come from me working at the copy machine place , was it was there that I met my Blessed and Loving wife , Gerri (I know the Lord brought us together , or I don't think we would STILL be married after 32 years !!)

Gerri was (and STILL IS) a Blessing , you see , she NEVER drank or cared much about the 'bar-scene' , and she HATED guns - of ANY KIND !!  The more we dated , the LESS I frequented the bars ,though I STILL was drinking too much - but she NEVER 'hammered' me for it,  and I even sold BOTH my guns . We would enjoy dates just walking on the beach , going to dinner and the movies ,a nd to country and western concerts , and simply just talking - for literally hours on end - by the end of 1974 I KNEW I had fallen in love with her , and wanted to marry her - but just didn't know when to 'pop' the question - gues I was afraid she'd say "NO." 

I was getting 'antsy' again , and the economy wasn't all that good , so I thought about re-enlisting in the Marines . I had always wanted to be a cop , so I figured I could re-enlist , this time with an MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) of Military Police , instead of Infantry . But , the Marine recruiter , told me since I had been out for almost two years , all he could offer me was an Infantry MOS , AND . . I would have to go back in as a Lance Corporal (E-3) in stead of my prior rank of FULL Corporal (E-4) . I Then talked with the Air Force recruiter , who said he could enlist me in the Air Force , but it would be with the rank of E-3 - BUT. . it would be with an Air Force MOS of security Police , upon completion of their school - I was all set to sign up until he told me one more thing .  I would have to wait until March (1975) - This around November , 1974 - and me , being the impatient person I am (but I;m getting better with the Lord's help) said , "No Thanks."

My next 'stop' was the Army recruiter , who told me he COULD put me in the Army with the rank of Sp4 (Specialist Fourth Class) , which IS an E-4 pay grade ; AND he COULD put me in on January 1st , 1975 . BUT . . . (Oh , Oh , here comes the 'But') - all the slots for Military police were filled , but he could put me in with an MOS of 17L20 , which is an Airborne Sensor Specialist - I would also get Flight pay and hazardous duty pay - it would require a security clearance , which he saw no problem with , and after 6-months I could put in for a transfer to military police . "Great" , I said , "Where do I sign.?"

I sort of 'laid the ground work' for Gerri , telling her that once I was settled , she could "join me" - but I still never mentioned marriage , though I think she knew .

I was eventually given a " Confidential " Security Clearance via the Dept. of Defense , and after making a 'pit stop' for a week at Fort Jackson , S.C .to be issued my uniforms , and await my orders - I was finally assigned to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center & School (USAICS), Fort Huachua , Arizona.  Anyway , the Army eventually changed my MOS to "Food Service Specialisst" , which I was NOT happy about and I started the process of either getting it changed to military police or I WANTED OUT !!!

In the meantime , I was stationed at Fort Ord , Calif., until about August , 1975 , when they gave me orders for Fort Hood , Texas . I was still pursuing either a discharge or MOS change , and of course , still drinking . To make a long story short , Gerri and I got married on October 16 , 1975 , and the Commanding Officer at Ft. Hood finally got me an HONORABLE Discharge in January , 1976 .

 Gerri and I  ‘drifted’ between Texas and Florida until 1978 when we settled in Central Florida - and I managed a service station until 1980 , when I entered law enforcement . I remained in law enforcement in the State of Florida (with various departments) until I took early city retirement in 1997. Also , On December 24 , 1994 - I was FREE from the bonds of alcohol by the Grace of God . I just decided to give it up -and I have NOT had ANY alcohol since - in any way , shape , manner or form - and DON'T want any , either !! THANK YOU , JESUS !!

 By then , we had our two wonderful and God Given children , Dylan - who is now 15 and in 9th grade - and has made the student Honor roll for several years now , as well as being active in sports and involved with his High Schools Jr. ROTC program. Our Daughter , Ciara , is now 14 and in the 7th grade - and has also made the ‘Student of the Month” and is above average in several subjects .

Anyway , in 1998 we moved to Ocean Springs , Mississippi - where I THOUGHT I could ‘make it big” (after all , I excelled in law enforcement , one time even attaining the rank of Lieutenant and the position as Assistant Chief of Police. Financially , as a cop we really never wanted for anything - especially in the latter years -( we even bought a small independent private postal center which was grossing in excess of $60,000 a year ).

 THEN . . It seems the proverbial deck of cards started to fall , FINANCIALLY . By June of 1998 we were literally BROKE !!

We moved back to South Florida , stayed with my sister awhile and eventually moved to Miramar , Fla - where we reside today . I tried to get back into law enforcement , but by now I was in my mid-forties and had health problems. The ONLY jobs I could find were security jobs , which paid just above the minimum wage. Our van had been re-possessed and we drove ‘clunkers’ that we bought for a few hundred dollars.

Eventually , I got a security position at a hospital that paid pretty well , and had better benefits than the police department as far as sick time , vacation time , 401k , etc . .I started feeling a little better about our lives - BUT . . All in all - I still wasn’t quite ‘happy’ on the ‘inside’ . I cursed , blamed everybody for my problems , and to ‘top it all off’ - in 2004 , my wife had a heart attack while here at home. I Thank God I was here , as I began administering CPR to her - all to NO AVAIL !!

Let me tell you, Brothers and Sisters in Christ - as a cop I HAVE SEEN DEATH AND DEAD people - I believed she was DEAD - I felt no pulse or saw any other indications of life - but I CONTINUED CPR until the paramedics arrived , and they immediately started to “bag her” , as we say - that is ,putting the breathing tube down her throat , etc..

I arrived at the hospital about a half hour after the ambulance brought my wife in - they let me into see her and to get some information on her - and while I was there in the ER , she ‘coded’ . TWICE !!! They immediately escorted me out so they could work on her. After what seemed like an eternity , but was about an hour or so , the doctor came out and told me , “Mr. Stahl. DO NOT leave the hospital tonight . Your wife has suffered a major heart attack , and right now she’s on life support - we need to do surgery on her , but right now she’s just too unstable.”

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. When a Doctor tells a family member NOT TO LEAVE the hospital - I KNOW what that means - it means that they do NOT expect the patient to survive and want some one there to identify the body , etc..

 When I was finally allowed to see her - she was in the ICU room with tubes , lines ,IV’s - you name it - in her legs , mouth , throat and had several monitors hooked up to her also - the doctors tried to explain to me the function of each one - and how it (they) were keeping her alive , but my mind was in a ‘fog’ - I heard them - BUT wasn’t really listening to them - all I could do was look at her body in disbelief - I left her room , and went out side and just broke down in tears . I remember ‘talking’ to God , but honestly can’t recall the words.

Anyway , she eventually was able to come off life support and she underwent a mitral valve repair and had a pace maker inserted - she was in the hospital two weeks and is doing well - PRAISE GOD IN ALL HIS GLORY !!

That same year I was diagnosed with Emphysema , Type 2 diabetes , hypertension , clinical depression , and coronary artery disease - In December of 2006 , I suffered a heart attack and was told by my cardiologist that 80% of my right coronary artery was blocked - and they were considering bypass surgery , but opted for the less intrusive wire stent implant (angioplasty) . Then in July of 2008 , I suffered TWO strokes and was literally at death's door - ( see my article at :

http://www.pastormstahlschurch.com/index.php?p=1_64_MY-WAKE-UP-CALL-FROM-THE-LORD- )

AS I said , it seems that my (our) lives were in a downward spiral - FINALLY . . It seems we hit ‘rock bottom , when we were looking at eviction , and our car  broke down and we had NO money for EITHER one !!!

I told Gerri , “You know what - I’m NOT gonna worry about anything anymore - I’m just going to put it all in the Lord’s hands , and if he wants us to be homeless , and without a car . .FINE !! “ I then went into my room , got on my knees and the tears started - I started talking to God and telling him that we NEED his help , although I KNOW we may not be deserving of it - and if he could just give me “one more chance” that I will dedicate the rest of my life to serving HIM !!! I confessed my sins to JESUS and accepted him . . THEN AND THERE -,  as my Savior and Redeemer , and asked HIM to come into my heart and soul , with the Holy Ghost , and turned my life over to HIM . That was on July 13 , 2007 .

Well , my friends , when I laid down after that - I felt such a ‘warmth’ and peace over my entire body - that I KNOW was the Lord’s hands on me telling me , “Don’t worry , everything will be all right - HAVE FAITH .” Little did I know at that time , that the Bible says in 2 Sam: 22:7 ; "In my distress I called upon the Lord , and cried to my God : and he did hear my voice out of his temple , and my cry did enter into his ears ."

Well , within 72 HOURS , HE Blessed us with friends that GAVE us the money to get caught up on our rent ,  AND .  also GAVE us a 2002 Chevy Blazer ,  and we have NOT wanted for ANYTHING !! since I accepted the Lord , Jesus Christ as my Savior and Redeemer with the Holy Spirit , and got back into a Christian , Bible-based church , and Baptized by immersion before the congregation . PRAISE THE LORD AND HIS HOLY NAME - FOR ALL THE HONOR , POWER AND GLORY ARE HIS !!!

NOW . . As my senior pastor (and mentor) told me , and as I found to be TRUE - being a TRUE CHRISTIAN is NOT complicated , but it is NOT EASY !!- You MUST learn humility (without becoming a ‘doormat’ for others) , you must get rid of your ‘PRIDE’ , you must learn forgiveness -( that is you must FORGIVE as well as ASK Forgiveness ); Matthew 6:15 tells us , "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." and you must HAVE FAITH IN THE LORD !!! 

I can unhesitatingly state that since I gave my life to Christ , I have NEVER felt such inner Peace and Happiness in my entire life. Do we still have problems ?? Of Course we do . As I tell people , we may live in a small 900 sf 2-bedroom apartment , not exactly in the ‘best’ area of town - but we’re THANKFUL to have a roof over our heads . We may not drive a NEW car - BUT . . We’re THANKFUL we have a CAR - and do not have to walk or depend on public transportation. We may have beds and mattresses that are OVER FIFTEEN YEARS OLD - BUT . . We are THANKFUL we do not have to sleep on the floor . We may not have an abundance of NEW clothes , BUT . . We are THANKFUL for the ones we have. We may NOT be able to afford to eat out , or have steak every week - BUT . We are THANKFUL that we are fed.

You see , whatever we have in life is NOT OURS !! It's ' Loaned' to us from God . In Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 , it states , " Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.  Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. "

The message here , as I am learning is on the principle of sowing and reaping, otherwise known as the Law of the Harvest, or in the vernacular, "What goes around comes around." In other words, put out good, help others, and it will return to you in your hour of need. If you have sown good seeds, then in your moment of crisis, it will return to your rescue in the exact moment that you need it.

Oh Yes , I am CURRENTLY still working the midnite shift in security at the hospital -  (albeit , against doctors orders ) , but one can NOT depend on "Uncle Sam" in this day and age - But , I DO BELIEVE - with my whole heart and Soul , it IS the Lord's will - hence , as long as HE allows me to continue 'fighting the battle' - I WILL continue to do so - until he makes other 'plans' for my life.

As the Bible says in 1 TIM : 6-8 “ But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. “

My Friends , since becoming a Christian , my sister has nothing to do with me ,  and I have 'lost' many friends as well . BUT . . this is what GOD said for Christians to expect - REJOICE  !!! BE HAPPY !!! John 15: 18-19 , tells us ; " If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. "  Matthew 5: 11 - 12 , tells us ; " Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. " So , you see , I would be worried if people DID NOT react the way they do . Matthew 19:29 states ; " And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. "

My Letter to GOD :

“Grace be unto you , and Peace , from God Our Father , and from the Lord Jesus Christ “ (Phil: 1: 2) 

May God Bless and Keep YOU ALL - ALWAYS !!

Your Brother in Christ ;

Pastor Mike