Mike Massey
Our next entrant is one of the most recognizable pool personalities in the world. His up and down and up again story is shared here in his own words, as only he can tell it.
Hi, I’m Mike Massey and would like to share with you my testimony, then if you ever had me to sign an autograph, I think you will realize why I always sign “Jesus Loves Us.”
I’m a Hall of Fame pool player, and have won 24 major titles in pool. I’ve been on ESPN Sports about 250 times and many other TV talk shows all over the world, and also 5 movies. I’ve traveled to about 40 countries playing tournaments, doing exhibitions, and teaching pool. I’ve performed for the Olympic committee in Russia and China, for Mafia leaders and KGB, and for the prince of Bruni.
My ex-wife and I travelled the world treated like Royalty, staying in nice Hotels, eating at the best restaurants, playing on the best golf courses, and associating with very wealthy people.
When you’re famous, people treat you different, and some worship you, and the problem is, you start liking it and thinking you’re more special than the common person. This happens with a lot of celebrities, and we start using our fame for vain reasons. This is very evil and hard to repent of.
During my first marriage, I accepted Jesus as my savior. But by not getting grounded in the word, I backslid big time and became a worse sinner than I was before I started believing.
I lost everything I thought I could never have growing up in poverty in the small town of Loudon, TN. I had a good job, a wife I loved and two wonderful children, and lost it all because of my infidelity. I then battled deep depression that almost destroyed me.
I was a hypocrite, and suffered the consequences big time. Like King David said, my sins are forever on my mind. Even though I’ve repented, I still struggle to do what is right. I believe every born-again Christian understands what I’m saying, because once you truly start trying to serve God, sometimes your closest friends or family will turn against you.
Satan is the God of the world, and the world cannot know God. God’s ways are foolishness to the world. You have to hate your life in the world to gain it. Lots of things you loved, you will hate. And things you hated, you will love when you come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Hell is real, and is made for Satan, his angels, and false prophets. Anyone who truly accepts Jesus dying on the cross shall be saved. The only way to the Father is through Jesus, and the only way for Salvation is the Cross. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that we can be saved. The wrath of God was poured upon his Son for or sins. Through one, we all became sinners, and through one were saved. That’s the simple message of the Bible. The good news: it’s for all that truly repent and accept this. It’s free, we’re saved by God’s grace not by our works. Without Jesus, it’s impossible to attain salvation and the kingdom of God. Our righteousness is as filthy as rags.
He can even give us peace and joy in this messed up world if we’re obedient and let him give it to us.
We can also have the assurance that when we die, we go to a better place. All tears will be wiped away. No more heartache.
I’ve been trying to preach the gospel and witness to people about Christ for many years now. I’m part of a ministry with Tom Rossman and Steve Lillis called Gospel Trick Shots and we go all over the world preaching the gospel of Jesus crucified.
We’ve been to most of the Muslim countries. The Muslims are very big into pool. They sponsor a lot of tournaments. I love the Muslims, but I disagree with the way they believe just like they disagree with the way I believe. Same way with all other religions; if you try and meditate your way into Heaven without going through Jesus you will end up in a pit of darkness. But if you cry out to Jesus, he will bring you out and guide you into the straight and narrow, if you let him.
You can check our website out, gospeltrickshot.org. You can also go to YouTube and see me preaching in Egypt. Just bring up Mile Massey in Egypt.
We also go to colleges and prisons. Colleges won’t let a preacher come and preach, but they let us through the recreation department and the chaplain.
I’m a born-again Christian, and wrestle tremendously with my flesh – liking the attention sometimes too much – and also the temptations that are presented to me. I was a horrible sinner with many generation curses on my life. I was demon possessed and tormented as a child, and had a father that beat my mother up many times and wanted to kill me and my brother. Sometimes he would hallucinate from being shell shocked from War II and thought we were the enemy.
I forgive my Father and hope he is in Heaven, because he surely went through hell here on earth.
If you don’t forgive, you will never have peace, and will imitate what your father did because you’re a part of that generation curse. Keep forgiving and asking God to forgive you. Jesus said, by my stripes you are healed. Those curses were broken at the cross.
I know there’s lots of people that have gone through this and feel there’s no hope. You may think God is not a loving God to let these things happen. God is not our problem. He loves us so much he gave his Son to die for us. It all goes back to the original sin; we were all born sinners, which we didn’t choose.
At one time I traveled the U.S. hustling pool and associating with the lowest of the low. I was gambling at cards, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer, all at the age of eight. I’ve looked down a gun barrel many times at people wanting to kill me. These were drug dealers, bank robbers, hit men, and pimps. I’ve been in jail 5 or 6 times for gambling. I’ve had many head injuries as a child and as an adult. I’ve been hit by cars three different times, and almost drowned twice.
I had a very strong spiritual experience when I was at my lowest. I came to my cheap hotel one night after staying in the bars gambling for probably two or three days, taking speed to keep me going. As I was getting ready to go to bed, I looked in the mirror and I looked like a zombie, 6 ‘ 4” and about 150 pounds, rotten teeth, and nicotine stained from about four packs of cigarettes a day. I heard a voice that said there’s a better life than this. My head turned to the right, and there was a bible laying on the night stand. I picked it up and opened it. Certain scriptures became highlighted – about three of them.
God was trying to lead me in the right path, but Satan didn’t want to lose his puppet that had been doing his work since birth.
I was guided into all kinds of cults and ways to try and become a better person in vain. Someone drugged my drink with LSD and I ended up in a mental institution. Whatever I thought of I would become: a monster eating earth, cancer in someone’s body, Superman, and even paper, stones, dogs, monkeys; even Jesus on the cross.
This lasted for years. I thought I was on the right path of trying to find heaven, but I found hell instead. I ended up worse than Legion and crawled around like a snake at times, and would go out into the woods and beg God and Satan to appear even though I didn’t want to serve either one. I sometimes would swing my arms for hours trying to fight the demons, only to fall on the ground and beat myself. I would walk the railroad tracks and sometimes lay down beside them, debating whether to lay my head on them when the trains go by.
My story has been told many times. You can find it on YouTube. PM Magazine did a documentary on me in 1980. It’s called “Mike Massey, Pool Hustler.” Billiards Digest did a long story on me when I got inducted into the billiards hall of fame in 2005.
The only way to stay out of the pit is to stay close to Jesus. You can be a saint one minute, and if you’re not careful, a monster the next. The Bible says we perish because of lack of wisdom. God’s wisdom is first pure and peaceful. I found out also our works without Christ is totally filthy as rags.
The only thing that keeps me going is when he tells me he chose me, and I believe my name is written in the Lambs book of life. Sometimes I have to look at him in faith and say, you said you’re the author and finisher of my faith so whatever you need to do please do it, because I can’t.
My main thing is to try and get people to stay away from palm readers; any type of meditation that is not bible scriptures; and especially rock, rap, and even country music that influences you to drink and party in the bars. I hate the bars and pool rooms of today. The music they play is out of the pits of hell. And the sports bars have many TVs playing sports and videos that are also out of hell. I love the people, and they seem to love me. I want them to be saved. Many times I believe I have met and talked to people that are saved and back slidden and get back into church. I have not one speck of doubt about what Jesus did on the Cross, but like I said before, without him and The Holy Spirit, it’s impossible to live it.
I also write and sing country gospel music. I have a song that is number one on ReverbNation country charts in Park City, UT. It’s called Sharpie and a Cue. If you’ve been on TV, everyone wants your autograph or a selfie photo with you. The theme of the song is, ‘Did they ask Jesus for his autograph?’ The intention is to humble some of the celebrities that’s living a sinful life and being worshipped by the kids, just like a lot of us did as children growing up in poverty – believing that becoming rich and famous was the goal for happiness.
You see actors and celebrities on TV smiling and telling you how wonderful everything is, but most of them are totally empty inside and are desperately searching for something to fill that void. They’re actors, they know how to mask the pain and emptiness.
Almost all the titles I won there was no true joy, just ego satisfaction. The Christians call it “flesh” or the Adam nature. No flesh will Glory in the site of God. The human-heart natural man is deceitful and wicked. You can’t totally kill it in this world, but you can tame it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
It doesn’t matter how many material things you acquire, it’s never enough. Same with sex, food, whatever it is, there’s never enough. A lot of people turn to drugs and alcohol, but after a while this doesn’t help, then you reach the bottom, and a lot commit suicide believing there’s no hope.
There is hope and it’s for everyone, his name is Jesus. If you get ahold of him he says, I will never leave you or forsake you. It takes faith, and he’s the Author and finisher of our faith.
At times you can look Satan dead in the eye and say, get behind me. He’s already been defeated; Jesus defeated him on the cross. At other times, when he gangs up on you and you’re not on guard, you might get knocked down. But Jesus will heal you’re wounds and strengthen you.
You must realize you can’t hit back; you’ve got to pray for your enemy. Your weapons are not carnal. It’s not flesh and blood you’re up against, it’s spiritual.
I lived in fourteen different houses within a six-mile radius in the small town of Loudon, TN before I went into the military at the age of seventeen. I only finished the eighth grade and never went a year of school without missing at least 20 days. I was basically illiterate when God first came into my life, but now I have written books, articles for magazines, screen plays and many songs. If you give your life to God he can restore what Satan stole from you.
If you go to Mike Massey music video on YouTube you can see the music video of the song. God bless, and pray for me – that I will do his work with gratitude, and that it’s without strife.
