My Story

My name is Eugene Mason. For two decades, I served in local churches in a creative and promotional capacity. I helped design and research sermon series, made websites, created media for events and ministries. I wrote dramas and Bible study materials. I led small group studies, I went on mission trips. I prayed, I studied the Word, I worshipped and I was very active in many areas of the life of the church. There was only one problem: I was not a Christ-follower.

That seems odd, but the reality was, like so many people who are deeply involved in ministry, I was committed to Christ and His church. The trouble was, I was also committed to my favorite college football team, and a good novel, and my wife and family. Christ was an area--a compartment--of my life. I often said, as I've heard many others say, "Christ is a part of my life"--and He was, just a part. Unfortunately I also had areas of my life I chose not to trust Him with. Areas where disobedience and sin reigned, and I was constantly sweeping it under the carpet.

For years, I was consistently overworked and over-budget. I could not keep my commitments or manage money, and my attempts to keep up an image of a "good Christian guy" led me into sinful behavior in these areas. My work life at the church, which became increasingly stressful, allowed me to foster a "martyr complex"--here I was sacrificing all of these areas of life to Christ and His mission. Surely He would forgive me indiscretions from these weaknesses in my character. After all, I was a committed minister, wasn't I? It was a tremendously dishonest way in which to live--one that simply could not continue.

Thankfully, in late 2007, this dance of image and reality finally caught up with me. Some friends and peers began to unpeel these years of misjudgement and dishonesty, and called me to accountability. It was through their counsel and that of my wife that I began to realize that even had I been 95% sold out to Christ, He demanded the other 5%. It's like a skydiver saying he is 95% committed to his parachute--that's ridiculous. It's all or nothing. And to give less than my all was not to be a follower of Christ. I was haunted by the words in Matthew, "...many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did I not do all of these things in your name...'"--and Christ's reply will be, "I never knew you."

That was me! What I had done over the years was build a list of things I had been doing for God. And in the process, I had missed God altogether. So on January 11, 2008, with my wife at my side on the sofa in our living room, I surrendered my life to Christ. Notice I didn't say commit my life to Christ--after all, like so many others, I was already committed. I needed Christ to save me, and I needed to hand Him every area of my life--even the ones I swept under the carpet--to do with as He pleased.

Looking back over 20 years in the church, I was saddened to realize that I had nothing of value to offer Christ at that point. Yet, that was when I began to more fully understand His grace--I was coming to Christ with nothing, and He was giving me everything. Grace too was extended by my friends and peers in ministry--and God provided an opportunity for me to step away from full-time vocational service in the church. I began to work as a marketing director in the secular marketplace.

The next year was a tremendously freeing and foundational time of growth for me in the Word. It was also a time where admitting my failures caused strife in my family, marriage and friendships. I lost friends, was depressed and lonely at times, and was deeply ashamed of my failures. But Christ was working in me, tearing down a false image and rebuilding me in His. It was a difficult but necessary time and I continue to be grateful for believers who gave me wise and biblical counsel and held me accountable throughout these months.

I prayed toward the end of 2008, seeking the Lord for whether or not putting this website back up might be useful as a ministry tool. When I looked over the content I had built over its 8-year history, I saw much hubris and pride, and major changes had to be made. More than anything, I believe the Lord commands us to align ourselves with His Word, and if I am granted a public forum like this, I needed to be sure I had something worth saying.

And what I want to say more than anything to the audience of this site, who are primarily ministry leaders in local churches, is this: Do not be one of Matthew's "many". Do not let your work for the church be what defines you. Let Christ define you. Do not let your list of accomplishments be evidence of your commitment to Christ. Instead, examine yourself daily and seek ways to be completely surrendered to him as you "work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

I believe, espeically in North America, that our churches are filled with casual Christians, who acknowledge Christ with their lips on Sunday, and deny Him with their lives in so many areas the rest of the time. I lived that life for over 25 years and I'm so thankful Christ still chose to save me and allow me to serve Him--now, fully, for the first time in my adult life. I'm deeply humbled you've come to this website, and read this story. I hope my life and experience can be somewhat useful to you and your ministry. And I want to learn from you as well.

There are 4.2 billion people in the world, at least, who are not Christ followers. Two billion haven't even heard His name. We have the technology and communications tools available to us to reach nearly half of them right now. Within 10 years, if we begin to make disciples across international and language barriers, we can reach nearly all of them with the Gospel. Today there are more than 5,500 spoken languages worldwide, but within 25 years--our lifetime--just 15 languages will give us access to 80% of the people on earth. This is the age God has chosen to allow us to live in. We know how to work the media, networks, computers, software and creative disciplines in a way that can shake the nations for Christ. I've already started working on it. Won't you join me?

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