Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Ipalco Enterprises
Search every verified Michael Goldstone interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2021 interview, Michael Goldstone described his personal journey from a "hippie" searching for fulfillment through drugs and Eastern philosophy to a Christian believer. He recounted hitchhiking to Mexico with a friend in search of magic mushrooms, which he hoped would help them "understand who we were even better and maybe understand who God was better." Goldstone said that after meeting his future wife, he began reading the Bible and was initially disturbed by Jesus's claims, but later came to believe Jesus is the Messiah after a prayer experience and reading the Old Testament book of Isaiah. He stated that he and a friend started a lighting business, which he said "has grown into one of the largest lighting companies in the United States," and that his parents and brother also came to believe in Jesus. Goldstone acknowledged historical Christian wrongdoing, including the Holocaust, but said "this has nothing to do with Jesus" and encouraged others to "read the Scriptures for yourself with an open heart and an open mind."
“What if we hitchhiked to Mexico? We found out from some friends that in southern Mexico there were magic mushrooms and I thought if we can get to southern Mexico and try those mushrooms maybe those would help Ron and I understand who we were even better and maybe understand who God was better.”
“When I was at Buffalo that was a time in my life when I was particularly really, really searching for God — I was experimenting in drugs with marijuana even with LSD, I had many relationships, and I read a lot of books primarily eastern books, all with the purpose of trying to understand and find God.”
“Being raised Jewish I knew nothing about the New Testament or Jesus; some of the things he said really disturbed me — he said 'I am the way, the truth and the life and no man can come to the Father but through me' and 'the Father and I are one' — and I said how could this be?”
“One night I was standing under the stars near our little cabin and I said, 'God, if you and Jesus are the same you've got to show me that this is the right thing to do' because I was really scared — something happened in my heart that night.”
“The pastor started to read a portion of scripture to me — it was 'Who hath believed our report... he was wounded for our transgressions...' — and he said 'Brother Michael, where do you think this is?' and when I looked it said Isaiah; it was so obvious to me that it was talking about Jesus.”
“We started a lighting business and that little tiny seed has grown into one of the largest lighting companies in the United States.”
“When we went back to share with our family my mom and my dad and my brother have also come to believe in Jesus and that is tremendous.”
“I know that Christianity — believing in Jesus — there's so much from the past with the Holocaust and what Christians have done, but this has nothing to do with Jesus; this has nothing to do with the Bible and the Messiah that was prophesied long, long time ago. I would encourage and challenge you to search and ask and...”
As a hippie, Michael searched for fulfillment in drugs and farming—but he quickly realized there had to be more. During a crazy ...
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