FAITH
Experiencing God’s Grace and Love
by
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I Introduction My name is Mike. I am a junior high school dropout who failed the second and third grades. I have never read a book except this one, and I am not someone you would expect to write a book. But here it is. I thank my cowriter and close friend Bob Ruhe for helping me make this happen. This book is about my spiritual experiences and the impact they have had on my life. I wrote this to share my experiences with others. I struggle with reading and writing because I am severely dyslexic. I also suffer from bipolar disorder. You will read more about how I have dealt with both of these in “About the Author” at the back of this book. I believe, however, that my difficulties with reading and writing have made me a good oral communicator, so I recorded my experiences to be transcribed into this book by Bob. Once my recorded text was written, Bob read it to me by phone, and we made alterations. This process continued until I was satisfied that we were finished with each section. I told Bob that I believe this book is why we met more than 45 years ago, and I believe that even more so now that the 2nd edition of this book is finished. My references throughout this book to a compass pointing to true north reflect the belief I have that we are given a moral guidance system at birth. This is an instinct that points us in the right direction to being good humans by following God’s teaching. It is part of how we understand the difference between right and wrong. This would be similar to the instinct a newborn lamb would have to get away from danger, even though it was never taught. The lamb just knows. The instinct was given to it at birth. The concept comes from my experience using a compass so I would not get lost in the woods. When we get lost spiritually, this compass helps us to find our way to true north, our spiritual center. I believe the existence of this compass is an important part of how we find direction in our lives. I check if my compass is pointing true north by reviewing the Ten Commandments. I think what the Ten Commandments teaches us is worthwhile, re- gardless of what religion you follow. The purpose of this book is to share Godly experiences that have occurred in my life. I feel very unworthy to have had these experiences. Many people I know are much more worthy than I. Nevertheless, I’ve come to understand that my experiences are rare and unusual. Why they happened to me? I’m not sure. I have sinned. I haven’t always followed my compass. I have fallen short in living up to the teachings of the Bible and the voice of my own conscience. I have tried to follow the Ten Commandments. I am not without sin, and I ask for understanding and forgiveness. Friends who I grew up with might find my faith as a surprise based on my early lifestyle. Because I felt unworthy, I never thought my experiences were unusual. I would ask myself: Doesn’t this kind of thing happen to everybody? What do I have to say that would be of value and interest to anyone? I thought it would be very egotistical of me to think I had something to share, especially anything that would warrant publishing a book. I didn’t plan to talk about my experiences, but conversations just seemed to happen. I shared them with my family and close friends, preachers I spent time with, and Carmelite nuns whom I consider friends and important spiritual leaders for me. I shared them truthfully and with a sense of awe and wonderment. I was told these experiences had to be shared with more people, and those encouraging responses helped lead me to this point. I am sharing them here so others can open their hearts and minds to the possibility of God’s grace. In addition to encouragement from family and friends, there was another reason I decided to write this book. One night, my hand and thoughts were guided to write the Grace Friendship and Partnership Contract. You’ll read about this in Chapter XII, Tests of Faith. This occurred at my farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where my wife, Rhoda, and I lived. A brilliant glow that was different than typical light moved toward me and then away from me at walking speed. It traveled 75 to 100 yards. This occurred two times, one right after the other. I was overcome with uncontrollable crying, and I knew that I was in the presence of God. After regaining my composure, I asked myself what I was going to do. Option one was to tell no one. I could keep it to myself as a private moment. This would be the safe thing to do. The experience was very intense, and I risked making a fool of myself, losing friends and credibility, and maybe even being locked up because people would think I had lost my mind. Option two was to share this experience, and the others I had, with as many people as I could. It took me a fraction of a second to decide that I was going to share these experiences with anyone who wanted to listen to or read about them. I’ve asked God many times why these experiences occurred in my life. Was I chosen to challenge others to think about God’s plans and the impact those plans could have on everyone’s life? Was it to give people the opportunity to tell me I’m wrong and to open dialogue for other ways to interpret these experiences? I am a visual person. I think in pictures. Perhaps that’s why the image of a compass pointing to true north has been in my head for as long as I can remember. Yet I don’t do the right thing all the time. No one does. I believe Jesus was the most perfect person to ever walk the Earth. The Bible teaches us Jesus was without sin, and His compass was pointed true north, and it’s that compass that helps all of us find our way. The compass is why I believe we can all find God’s grace, and the experiences I am about to share with you might help you find and follow your compass. I can’t picture my life without these experiences. They have guided me through depression and dyslexia, which are profound problems I have dealt with throughout my life. They have opened my heart and mind to the possibility of God’s presence and have given me peace and the confidence to think that way. They have led me to know that God can’t be taken from me. Everything else can be taken away, but not God. I call myself a Christian, but I think about and question the teachings of Christianity all the time. My beliefs might be no greater, or more valid, than yours. I could have been raised as a Muslim or a Jew. I choose to be a Christian. I believe in the possibility of a life without sin or suffering. I believe a better world is available to us—a place like Heaven where rich and poor, black and white, and gay and straight can live in harmony. This is possible if we make God the most important part of our lives. I have never heard God’s voice. I have never seen God, and I don’t know what God looks like. But I have no doubt God is always present, whether we have sinned or not and whether we believe or not. I was blessed to be given the opportunity to experience things that have helped me find my way to God. In this book, I share God’s messages as I experienced them, as honestly and accurately as I can remember them, even when the experience is something that I am not proud of.I hope you find my experiences thought- provoking. They are messages of hope that might challenge your thinking and bring you one step closer to God’s grace and glory. Cheers, Mike Mountz Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Wanaka, New Zealand 2025
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About the Book
Faith is the story of one man’s many encounters with God — moments that both challenged and strengthened his belief. Like all of us, Mike Mountz, who has dyslexia and bipolar disorder, has stumbled along the way. Yet through unwavering faith and God’s endless grace, he has found his way back to the right path time and again. If you’re searching for guidance, hope, or a deeper connection to your faith, this book was written for you. You don’t need a dramatic “Godly experience” to know God’s grace. Those who believe through faith alone embody a rare and powerful trust in Christ. As Mike shares, faith without signs or miracles is the truest expression of spiritual devotion. Through stories of struggle, perseverance, and divine guidance, this book reveals how belief in God can illuminate even the darkest paths. The author also explores the idea of a spiritual compass—a God-given sense of direction we all receive at birth—and how learning to follow it can bring clarity and peace to our lives. More than a memoir, Faith is an inspiring journey into the heart of belief—a reminder that God’s love, grace, and guidance are available to each of us, no matter where we are on our spiritual walk.
About the Author
Mike Mountz was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on December 22, 1952. He has an older sister, Linda, and he was the second and last child of Elton and Lelia Mountz. Mike did poorly in school, failing the second and third grades. He recalls being taken to a doctor after he failed both grades to find out if he had a learning disability. Mike was evaluated, but the doctor didn’t know what was wrong. “He is not unintelligent” was the only diagnosis he could offer Mike’s anxious mother. It was eventually determined that Mike is severely dyslexic, a condition that makes reading and writing difficult, if not almost impossible, for Mike. It was a condition that was unknown during his early school years. Mike was reluctant and embarrassed to read out loud because he feared bringing attention to himself. Retaining what he tried to read was always a challenge. People with dyslexia have trouble with spelling and grammar and mix up words that sound similar. Reciting the alphabet is impossible for Mike. Living with dyslexia is incredibly frustrating. It is something that Mike has worked hard to overcome. Mike dropped out of school in the eighth grade and went to work in his family’s business, Morgan Trailer Manufacturing Company, which was started by Mike’s father and mother as a welding shop. Today, it is known as Morgan Corporation, and it is the largest truck-body manufacturing company in the world (www.morgancorp.com). Elton and Lelia Mountz were successful businesspeople. Mike often had a difficult relationship with his father, who passed away in 2002. Mike credits his father for instilling in him the entrepreneurial spirit that served him well in business. Mike knows his father loved him; he just had a difficult time expressing his love or admiration for what Mike accomplished. He would tell others how proud he was of his son—he just never told Mike. Mike’s mother, Lelia, was the driving force who taught him the importance of loving your family, caring for others, and living a meaningful and fulfilling life. Mike worked at Morgan until he enlisted in the army in 1969 at the age of seventeen. This was during the time of the Vietnam War. He was in the service for two years but was not sent to Vietnam. One night, he fell out of a bunk bed and broke his pelvis, an incident that decades later led to the creation of Grace for Vets. The full story of Grace for Vets can be found at www.graceforvets.com. When Mike got out of the service, he married Patty Jackson and started a family. They were married for fourteen years. He went back to work for the family business, but he seriously started to think about owning a company. Mike’s goal was to own a company by his thirtieth birthday. He left Morgan at age twenty-eight. Three years later, he bought a small car wash in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, that employed one person, Del Burkholder, who worked with Mike until he sold the company. He owned and operated Cloister Car Wash for twenty-eight years. In 2012, he sold the business to Mister Car Wash. The history of Mike’s ownership of Cloister can be found by visiting www.cloistercarwash.org or searching YouTube for Mike Mountz Hall of Fame. Throughout his life, Mike has battled the dual challenges of dyslexia and bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression). He thinks managing his dyslexia helped him develop the skill of visualization. (Creative abilities, original insights, and “big picture” skills are often strengths of people with dyslexia.) Recognizing the rhythm of bipolar disorder made him focus on using his “up” time most productively. His ability to visualize was a big reason Mike was able to design and build car washes with innovations that are now used worldwide. To help others deal with dyslexia, he started dad, which stands for Dyslexics Achieve Distinction. dad is spelled with small letters because Mike could not distinguish between a small b and a small d. Mike likes to say he has a 50 percent chance of getting that right. For more information on dad, visit www.cloistercarwash.org under the community service tab. After selling his business, Mike moved to Wanaka, New Zealand. He and his wife, Rhoda, were married in 1991. They split time between their farm in New Zealand and their home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They have three children (Elton, Tonya, and Weston), twelve grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters. In July 2023, Mike, age seventy-one, and his wife, Rhoda, sixty-eight, moved back to the United States to Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to be closer to their family and have easier access to health care. Mike fell deeply in love with the country of New Zealand, and he has been blessed with many loving friendships and memories. As Mike’s health allows, he will return to New Zealand as often as possible. ROCK New Zealand will always be a part of Mike and Rhoda’s life. ROCK will continue sharing God’s grace through the efforts of Team ROCK New Zealand. Bob Ruhe and Mike Mountz met in 1975 when they worked at Morgan Trailer Manufacturing, a company founded by Mike’s parents. From 1985 until 1990, Bob’s advertising agency did work for Mike’s business, Cloister Car Wash. Over the next two decades, Bob twice served as interim director of marketing for Cloister and has assisted Mike in the management of Grace for Vets, an organization that Mike founded. During his career, Bob was a senior-level executive, and he currently works as a training instructor and an adjunct professor of business. In 2000, Bob wrote Letters to Heather, a book that was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Cowriting Why Me? and its second edition, Faith, has been the most profound creative experience of Bob’s life. The project made Bob think about God and faith more than he ever had before. “I learned how important faith and spirituality are to Mike and other people and how believing in God can lead to a more fulfilling life. I understood for the first time the concept of God’s grace and how grace can touch anyone’s life. Mike’s book is a must-read for those interested in spirituality or people looking to discover or reenergize their faith.”