How Everyday People Live Out Their Christian Faith

Illustrating how men and women display their love for Jesus in their day-to-day lives.
Little things that may have an eternal impact. Might these stories motivate you to use your talents?
  • Children Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles

    GOD IS STILL GOOD

    Mariah would be the first to tell you that the life she’s living now is not one she ever imagined. She has a loving husband, a beautiful life, and a God who has been by her side. But everything changed on the soul-crushing day when her son, Reagan, passed away. For most of her life, Mariah rarely questioned God, but this was the moment that shook her faith to its core. On February 24th, 2023, just days before Reagan was supposed to enter this world, she went to the hospital after no longer feeling his movement and would soon come to learn… Read More

    November 5, 2024
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Homeless

    MY JOURNEY OF HEALING

    I apprehensively dressed for the day, carefully choosing all black to project the most intimidating image that I could. Black nails and lipstick, eyeliner, shirt and pants. It was the day my little sister and I were being taken from the orphanage where we’d been for the past three years to a private children’s home. As the child services vehicle wound its way through the mountains of Costa Rica, I fought dismay at the thought of living in the jungle. I remember praying as a child that God would save me from the cycles of witchcraft, parties, drugs, and violence that… Read More

    October 30, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery Unique Ministries

    THE EXODUS HOUSE

    I couldn’t keep living life the way that I was. I knew that there had to be another way, but it was so hard to see with addiction staring me down, day in and day out. As a child, I never would’ve thought my future held a crippling meth addiction. I also couldn’t have guessed that Jesus would be the one to save me, either. I found out in my teen years just how hard it is to stay strong with a hurting heart. My heartache did not subside for many years. My grandmother's passing led me down a darker road than I… Read More

    October 23, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    THE PRODIGAL

    Drugs. Depression. Debauchery. Reckless living. A prodigal son to a T. That was my life before Jesus Christ. I was born into a Christian family; my father an immigrant from El Salvador and my mother a Midwest woman. They met in the Army, fell in love and married quickly. I have two younger twin brothers, and we grew up in a household abundant in love and compassion, but we didn’t have two pennies to rub together. We were so poor, at one point, my family bought grapes and beans that had fallen on the floor because it’s all that we could afford. I… Read More

    October 16, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Verbalizing the Gospel

    THANK YOU, MIKE

    The Christian Heart ministry lost a very special person last month. Mike Whitten was a vital part of The Christian Heart since its very inception. He was always there to encourage us when times became challenging. He was our ministry's greatest cheerleader. He would always remind us that it was our goal to point people to Jesus. He was one of the most successful businessmen in Birmingham. But you'd never know it by his humble spirit. Mike’s generosity was amazing, always asking what you might need and doing his best to fulfill that need. He just loved to meet the needs of… Read More

    October 9, 2024
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Overcoming Obstacles

    HELPING THESE GIRLS BEGIN TO HEAL

    Some moments impact your life forever. One of those moments was the summer that I took time off from my secretary job to be a volunteer counselor for two 11-year-old foster girls at Royal Family Kids Camp. This is a week-long camp designed to ignite hope and deepen faith in the hearts of children ages seven to eleven who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Since we knew this was their last year attending camp, the girls and I lived life at high speed. They wanted to accomplish all the camp activities they had not tried in past years, learn new skills… Read More

    October 2, 2024

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Adoption/Foster Care 37
Children 156
Church Activities 59
Financial Help 18
Food 40
Homeless 33
Hospital 41
Labor 160
Loss Of Loved One 37
Loving Your Neighbor 66
Mentoring 48
Mission Work 51
Other 12
Overcoming Obstacles 104
Prayer 54
Prison Ministry 11
Recovery 43
Senior Citizens 22
Special Needs 46
Unique Ministries 160
Verbalizing the Gospel 73
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  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Special Needs

    NEVER GIVING UP

    In September 2017, my daughter, Jennifer, had just dropped off her three boys at school and was driving to work. Her car veered off the road and went straight into a pole. Her heart stopped. Paramedics tried to revive her three times. Usually after that many attempts, they quit. But they tried once more, and were successful in reviving her. She was rushed to a hospital where doctors tried to keep her alive. In addition to all her severe injuries, the doctors determined she had suffered some brain damage from a lack of oxygen, so they put her into an induced… Read More

    September 11, 2024
  • Adoption/Foster Care Special Needs

    SAYING YES TO GOD’S CALLING

    One day, I had a conversation with my husband’s sister where she described a recent dream. She saw my husband holding a dark-skinned little girl and calling him Daddy. This really moved me. A couple of days later, I was scrolling on YouTube, and saw a video of two little boys from the Philippines singing a beautiful worship song together. Once again, I became emotional, and God gave me a vision. He put it on my heart that there was a little girl with chunky cheeks and big brown eyes who needed us. He told me we needed to bring her… Read More

    September 4, 2024
  • Food Labor Loving Your Neighbor Recovery

    MEEMAW’S HOMETOWN KITCHEN

    It’s been a long road for me to get to this place. In 2008, I was kidnapped and held hostage for five months. I was pregnant and scared. From the beginning, my ex had an ulterior motive to have a child with me. He took advantage of me, and the family said to marry him so as not to embarrass them. When I tried to leave, he stabbed me in the abdomen. I managed to escape when my daughter was three months old, but he followed us and nearly beat me to death. Because he was well-known in the community, there were… Read More

    August 28, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    FLOURISHING AFTER A SHARK ATTACK

    Ali Truwit has quite an inspiring story of courage, determination and Christian faith. In May of 2023, Ali lost her foot, and almost her life, when she was brutally attacked by a shark. Now, just over a year later, this young lady will represent the United States in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. The Attack Ali had just graduated from Yale in May of 2023, and to celebrate, she took a trip to Turks and Caicos with her best friend, Sophie. The two of them had been teammates on the Yale University swimming team. While snorkeling in the beautiful ocean waters, a… Read More

    August 19, 2024
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Mission Work

    KINDNESS THROUGH LETTERS

    My desire to help people began a couple years ago with writing five heartfelt letters of encouragement to soldiers, inmates, and others who needed hope in their lives. But the number of letters I've written has now grown to over four thousand. It reminds me of when Jesus took two loaves of bread and five little fish, and ended up feeding five thousand people. By sharing God’s love with others in these letters, I want them to see that God is good. Sharing God’s Word is food for the soul. During the Covid pandemic, the world was in such a dark place.… Read More

    August 14, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Unique Ministries

    NEVER ALONE WIDOWS

    In 2001, at the age of 23, I became a widow. My first husband, Todd, had a massive aneurysm at 27 years old. At this time, I knew the Lord, but I didn’t know Him in the hard places. Through worship, I learned who God wanted to be to me. I was grieving, but not grieving well. I didn’t know any other widows who were my age, young without children. The ones I did know were in their eighties and felt I just couldn’t relate to them. A couple years passed, and I began dating a family friend, Blair. He was a fighter… Read More

    August 7, 2024
  • Labor Verbalizing the Gospel

    SINGING FOR THE LORD

    We have been sharing the hope of Jesus in song since 1982. It has been far from easy, and we didn’t even know music would be a part of our journey. My husband Bob has the ability to push things forward as a visionary, and one day he said to me, “Learn how to paint so I can sell your pictures. I want to sell something I believe in.” After that, we sold artwork for years. Later, when tragedy struck, we had to overcome fires and felt threatened as our character weaknesses were being exposed. A lack of profit margin at wholesale… Read More

    July 29, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    GOD WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU

    At my husband’s funeral, we played “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”. My mom had to physically hold me up, but I raised my hands in worship. I didn’t know how it was going to be okay, how this could possibly be in God’s plan for me. I didn’t know how I was supposed to keep being a nurse, when I couldn’t see an ambulance without having a panic attack. I didn’t know how any of it was supposed to work together for good. All (and I mean all) I knew in those… Read More

    July 24, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Verbalizing the Gospel

    SURRENDERING MY LIFE TO CHRIST

    One week before I surrendered my life to Christ, I was riding my motorcycle home from the gym late at night. Glancing at my phone for a text notification, I didn't see the truck halfway in my lane until it was too late. The collision at 60 mph left me unable to walk for three days, but by God's grace, I escaped with minimal harm. Exactly a week later, I attended a prayer meeting an hour away from home. Through the prayers of others, God supernaturally healed my legs, prompting me to commit my life to Jesus. Repentance, I realized, meant more… Read More

    July 17, 2024
  • Mission Work Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    GOD RESCUED ME

    Growing up in a Christian home, I was familiar with the faith. I had many encounters with the Lord as I earnestly desired to be close to Him, but something changed soon after. As I stepped into my teenage years, I became more accustomed to sinning without feeling bad about it, and steadily started to desire everything the world had to offer. There were several moments when I realized that God was still keeping me close, protecting me from going deeper into sin, regardless of where I was. When I turned 18, I had a sobering wake-up call as I ended up… Read More

    July 10, 2024
  • Mission Work

    SPEAKING OUT IN THE SAHEL

    Even though it was spiritually challenging, I miss my time as a missionary in North Africa. I vividly recall daily hearing the call to prayer cause since I lived near a mosque. It was tough because Islam is such a hopeless religion. At the schools, the children would just chant and memorize the Qur'an for hours without knowing what they were saying. There's lots of fear going on over there. Many people are worried about theft, women don’t have equal rights, and people just don’t trust one another. It's interesting because there is a lot of skepticism going on, particularly among… Read More

    July 3, 2024
  • Children Hospital Overcoming Obstacles

    OUR GOOD HEALING POWERFUL GOD

    I didn’t feel like a mom. I had seen my baby for what felt like two seconds. When I saw her again, she had lines and tubes coming out everywhere, and I couldn’t even see her face under the CPAP mask. It would be nine days before I could hold her. I felt sick. With my stomach scarred from the cesarean, and my hands raw from “scrubbing in” to see her, I felt like my body had failed. My daughter was born at 28 weeks as a result of pre-eclampsia. We then spent 53 days in the NICU. She was my third pregnancy,… Read More

    June 26, 2024
  • Verbalizing the Gospel

    TELLING OTHERS ABOUT JESUS

    I grew up going to church and was always intrigued about this God. I went through most of my childhood knowing Him but not really having a relationship with Him. That all changed when a soccer teammate of mine invited me with her to a church camp. Little did I know my life would be transformed. At one point during the camp, we were worshiping. It’s hard to describe but I felt the Holy Spirit come within me. I left the camp with a different perspective on life and actually knowing this amazing person we call Jesus. I am forever grateful for my… Read More

    June 19, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    DRUG DEALER TURNED DISCIPLE

    It's easy to get comfortable doing things we shouldn't. Well, I got comfortable going in and out of jail. I didn't sell drugs to make money. I sold to support my drug habit. Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, you name it. There just wasn't enough out there for me. For over 30 years, my lifestyle was my way or no way. Eventually, though, a parole officer almost caught me drinking at a halfway house. I was on high-control, so that would mean an automatic return to prison for me. Normally, I never got scared to go back into prison. Just a few days before that,… Read More

    June 12, 2024
  • Children Loss Of Loved One Prayer

    HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING

    I grew up a preacher's kid, so I have known the Lord a long time. But losing our son has certainly brought us closer to God. On July 17, 2022, we were at our family’s lake house in Alabama when I noticed that our son, Briggs, was missing. Immediately, we began to search for him. My husband, Josh, a firefighter, found him in the lake. After jumping in and pulling him out of the water, he called 911 and began CPR. He performed CPR for 30 minutes before Briggs regained a heartbeat. He was then life-flighted to Children's of Alabama, where… Read More

    June 5, 2024
  • Prison Ministry Recovery

    FROM THE PIT TO THE PALACE

    I found myself in the pit of life. I partook in all the vices imaginable and didn’t know how to turn my life around. I had always been resistant to God. I tried to take myself to places where God would never be pushed on me. But even in a bar where I could drink and forget about my life, someone came right up to me and began sharing testimony of God’s love. This was the first of many instances that God touched my heart in the most unexpected situations and places. Prison is when I truly began my authentic connection with… Read More

    May 29, 2024
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    TRUSTING GOD IN DIFFICULT TIMES

    When my husband and I found out I was pregnant, we were so excited that our prayers had been answered. It wasn’t until our 20-week anatomy scan that we found out our baby boy had a kidney disease. We discovered he had a multicystic dysplastic kidney, meaning he only had one functioning kidney. This required us to have ultrasounds every month to measure the growth of his right kidney and make sure his left kidney was still functioning. This was a difficult process for both my husband and me. All we could do was lean on God and trust in His… Read More

    May 22, 2024
  • Labor Verbalizing the Gospel

    WELCOME STATION RV PARK

    God has a specific way He reveals His plan to us. I feel He teaches me in a way that is similar to the unfolding of an onion. Every time I learn more about Jesus’ love, it shifts who I am inside. Most profoundly, He grows me into a better representation of Him as He peels back the layers of my selfish ways. This is what He had in store for developing our RV Park into a place of ministry. In 2017 while traveling to be with my husband's father before his death, we spent a night at an RV Park… Read More

    May 15, 2024
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Senior Citizens

    THE HONEY-DO DUDE

    My wife of 53 years passed away in November 2022. Not only did I grieve, but I also went into depression. On top of that, I have PTSD from serving in Vietnam. It was a tough time for me. I’m 76 and found myself just sitting around the house. I was sinking deeper into depression. I knew I had to do something about it. I reflected on what my mom drilled into me as a kid. I was raised going to church and the Christian doctrine of helping others was underscored to me time and again. She always told me loving and… Read More

    May 8, 2024
  • Church Activities Overcoming Obstacles

    HEALING FROM SEXUAL ABUSE

    As a young girl, I experienced an unfortunate childhood. Abuse was common inside our home as well as depression. I witnessed that a young girl can't trust anyone, even the people who are the closest. Sexual and physical abuse seeped its way into my life, and I had no one to protect me. Because of many dreadful incidents, my mind was deeply affected. I began to see in a perspective of lust, emptiness and fear. I was young with a tainted reality, an unfortunate teenage girl who sought sin. My life kept spiraling down. I was changing more and more, but… Read More

    May 1, 2024
  • Church Activities Verbalizing the Gospel

    STANDING FIRM IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION

    Only about 2.3% of India, one of the most populated countries in the world, is Christian. Unfortunately, Christians in India face many challenges and persecution, and Banka Kranthi, 27, is no exception. Banka was born and raised in Baranipadu, in the district of Khammam in the region of Vemsoor. As a child, his father preached the Gospel, so the Word of God and fear of the Lord was put into his heart at an early age. His father often set out on preaching missions, and through his father’s actions, Banka was able to see the true love of Christ. Banka’s childhood exhibits… Read More

    April 24, 2024
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles

    TRUSTING GOD’S PLAN

    It’s amazing how we can plan out everything in our lives to the smallest of details. But so often, everything we planned can evaporate in just one day or a single moment. Our wedding day was scheduled for October, but Uncle Sam had a different plan. On July 31st, Duane was drafted into the military and was deployed to Vietnam. We were reeling and wondering, now what? We got in our car and drove from Minnesota to Milbank, South Dakota where we found someone to open the courthouse since it was a Saturday and it was closed. We were able to get… Read More

    April 17, 2024
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    THE OLIVE PRESS

    Have you ever had a “lightbulb” moment? For me, these moments literally have a golden glow about them in my memories. These are the moments I know are from God. These moments are where He lights the path and leads the way. The Olive Press, my business born out of a “lightbulb” moment, has its own kind of glow. This is the kind of glow you can feel as soon as you walk in the door, and it’s because of the people. This kind of glow is the kind that only comes from Jesus changing your life. And in His grace,… Read More

    April 10, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    A SCAR IS A STORY

    I fought a long battle with skin cancer which has left me with significant scars on my face after several difficult surgeries. I was first diagnosed in the middle of the pandemic and right before Christmas. I had just left my doctor’s office and went to my church to drop off some Christmas gifts. As I entered the door, I unexpectedly broke down and started to cry, telling my friends who worked there I was just diagnosed with cancer. Immediately, they stopped what they were doing and began to pray over me. In that moment, I could feel God’s healing energy transferred… Read More

    April 3, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    GLORIFYING GOD IN DIFFICULT TIMES

    The story of Job resonates with me. He was put through some very difficult and gut-wrenching trials. But Job’s faith saw him through those times. I feel like I’m in a somewhat similar situation right now. I’m going through an excruciating cancer battle which has me wondering how long I may have on earth. And a number of family members are going through very hard struggles. I have three children. My oldest daughter has Huntington’s Disease which affects her nervous system; I’m seeing her life being taken away from her, and watching my granddaughter lose her mom. I promised my daughter that I would… Read More

    March 20, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel

    HELPING VICTIMS OF SEX TRAFFICKING

    Kainos is a Chrisitan, non-profit organization in Stuttgart, Germany that helps victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation find freedom, hope and a new life. Kainos is Greek meaning "completely new”, inspired from 2 Corinthians 5:17: Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! It is our desire to help give women in prostitution the confidence, hope and belief in the living God so they can exchange a life of captivity for freedom. We believe this offer of new life is for everyone, and we want… Read More

    March 13, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles

    TURNING FROM A LIFE OF PROSTITUTION

    While Kenya is a beautiful country, about 8.9 million Kenyans live on less than $2 a day. This can lead many to desperate situations, like Priscar Onduso. She is a woman who fell into sin and despair, only to receive a source of unlikely hope when she needed it most. Priscar Onduso was born in Mombasa County in Kenya, in a town called Voi. She was the firstborn of a family of four, and her parents were impoverished with no stability in work. Though she went to church, she did not know salvation. When her mom was diagnosed with tuberculosis, her… Read More

    March 6, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Mentoring

    THE AMAZING INFLUENCE OF MY GRANDMA

    My Grandma was an amazing person. I will never forget her; that would be impossible. So much of me, and who I am as a young woman, is because of her powerful influence. She watched me take my first breath as I entered this world, and I watched her take her last breath as she left it. She has lived with me from day one, for my entire life. The first thing I did every morning for as long as I can remember was to go say good morning to her. And she has been such a strong inspiration of… Read More

    February 28, 2024
  • Children Prayer

    WAITING ON GOD’S PERFECT TIMING

    When we first married, I was on birth control but because of persistent headaches, I had to stop. We felt this must be God’s timing for having a baby. Seth even had a dream that we would have twins. We laughed it off that maybe we would since twins ran in my side of the family. After about six or eight weeks, twins were confirmed. Just thinking about it was daunting but we were also excited. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, except for lots of morning sickness, which was to be expected. Amazingly, our beautiful girls came at 37 weeks (full-term) and… Read More

    February 21, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    A STROKE SAVED OUR MARRIAGE

    On April 26, 2018, my wife had a life-threatening stroke. She was on bone-density pills which led to a blood vessel bursting in her brain. Prior to the stroke, she knew something was wrong with her health and felt I was poisoning her. I was not a perfect husband by any means, but I couldn’t understand why she thought this, and I felt our marriage was over at this point. In hindsight, the swollen vessel was causing her mental issues. What do you do when your spouse thinks you want them dead? She even had a blood test confirming there was no… Read More

    February 14, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    A NEW LIVER AND NEW LIFE

    In New Mexico, one will find vast blue skies, beautiful mesas, and true evidence of God’s majestic plan of creation. However, while there are many stories of hardship and poverty here, there are also stories of overcoming and endurance through Jesus Christ. Richelle Shorty is a Native American woman from the Navajo tribe of New Mexico. Many people she grew up with had negative views and misconceptions of Christianity, but deep down, she knew these thoughts were not true. As a little girl, she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart on the playground with her friends, but little did she know… Read More

    February 7, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    OVERCOMING ADDICTION

    My childhood was rough, and from the time I was 17, I started a destructive path of smoking, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol. This pattern continued for many years. Honestly, I feel as though I have always been self-destructive. No amount of self-medicating could control my feelings or my mental health issues. I refused to seek medical help because I didn’t believe it would work. Many times, I hit what I assumed was rock-bottom, only to go through it again and again. One day, I had a complete mental breakdown at work. They sent me to an out-patient rehab that lasted… Read More

    January 31, 2024
  • Children Mission Work

    SAVING CHILDREN IN HONDURAS

    When I was a little girl of only nine, I learned what it means to be an orphan. From then to sixteen, I prayed each night for God to make it possible for me to work in an orphanage someday. At some point, I forgot about that prayer; however, God did not forget. In 1985, my husband and I lived in High Springs, Florida. One evening, we were watching the show World Relief, and they were featuring Honduras. As the cameraman panned out, we could see a tiny baby lying on the steps of the capital. Crying and malnourished to the… Read More

    January 24, 2024
  • Children Food Loss Of Loved One

    GRANDMA PEGGY’S BREAKFAST CLUB

    My grandson, Sam, died last year when his moped was struck by an oncoming vehicle. I was completely devastated. But I have found a very unique, and healing, way to honor his memory. Sam was a high school sophomore, and he and his buddies would sometimes go out for breakfast to a local diner before school. When we were talking one day, Sam told me, “The diner’s food has nothing on you, Grandma. You make the best breakfast.” So I casually said, “Why don’t you come to my house with your friends sometime and I’ll make them breakfast.” He loved the idea… Read More

    January 17, 2024
  • Children Hospital Overcoming Obstacles

    GOD TAKES CARE OF US

    When I was pregnant with my fifth child, my pregnancy for the most part seemed to go normally. I didn’t gain more weight than usual and although I was extra tired, it still wasn’t so much that it felt out of the ordinary. When it came time to give birth, we anticipated a standard delivery. The pregnancy was largely uneventful. Until later. After our daughter was born, I wanted to go home right away so our new baby could meet all her sisters and I could sleep in my own bed. Due to complications with excessive bleeding, that was not an option.… Read More

    January 10, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Recovery

    AN EVER-PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED

    I’m a widower. A father to two girls who lost their mom over a year and a half ago. A husband who lost his bride and helpmate. I’ve been allowed to walk through some really heavy, but undeniably rich moments over the past six years. That might sound strange, but it sets the stage to start to talk about things like suffering, hope and living life. I’ve seen God be an ever-present help in time of need by providing for physical needs, emotional outlets and spiritual resiliency. I’ve seen Him be incredibly tender toward my family, especially as we walked through… Read More

    January 3, 2024
  • Homeless Labor Loving Your Neighbor

    PEOPLE LOVING NASHVILLE

    When I first traveled to Kenya with my wife, God really opened my eyes to how people of different statuses are created in His image. This means they deserve the same love and dignity as anyone else. I felt moved by this, and wanted a practical way to apply it when I returned home to the States. God answered my prayers when I was job searching. I looked for business management positions, but He called me to work for a homeless ministry. Created in His image, people who live outside deserve the same love and dignity as anyone… Read More

    December 27, 2023
  • Mission Work Unique Ministries

    CHRISTMAS HELPS UNITE BULGARIAN VILLAGE

    In 2001, I felt led to join a mission group and after raising funds, I was on my way to Bulgaria. After joining New Mission Systems International, I was looking forward to teaching English to the community. We hoped it would be a good way to support the local churches and to evangelize. In the town of Botevgrad, we held English classes in The United Churches of God. We started with just four adults because it was the first thing to have been opened to the public there. I was the second person to come in, after our team member, Sandra,… Read More

    December 20, 2023
  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    REFUGE WIDOWERS

    I was 30 years old when my wife, Lyndsie, went home to Heaven after a 10-year battle with cancer, leaving me with two young kids. I walked out of that Emergency Room on August 28, 2015 without her, wondering how I would explain to our kids that their momma would not be coming home. I couldn’t believe this was my reality. In the weeks that followed, I was surrounded by people who loved me and my kids well. They sat with me, listened, brought meals, wrote encouraging notes, sent gift cards and helped with the kids. It was clear that our… Read More

    December 12, 2023
  • Homeless Prison Ministry Recovery

    GRAY’S HOUSE OF HOPE

    I was not always a man of God. I had quite a colorful past, being involved in illegal street activity. A former drug addict, I had a $1500 per day drug habit. It didn't matter what kind of drugs either, I used any and all kinds. My choices got me into a lot of serious trouble, which alternately led me to a few prison sentences. I had previously been told about Jesus Christ, but I did not know him for myself. My life was in shambles because of my own actions. It got to the point where I was going to… Read More

    December 6, 2023
  • Children Mission Work Unique Ministries

    BRINGING HOPE TO A SLUM IN AFRICA

    I’ve always felt a pull toward Africa. In my twenties, I was so moved by God’s love for the poor that I felt compelled to act. I intended to start a children’s home in Nairobi, Kenya. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa. The one-room homes have corrugated metal roofs, cardboard walls and dirt floors. Surveys report 98% of residents have witnessed a violent crime in the last year, and 66% of girls prostitute themselves for food before age 16. While there, a team of us went door-to-door and asked hundreds of mothers, “If you could change one thing for your child,… Read More

    November 28, 2023
  • Children Prayer

    PRAYER BABY

    I was beyond excited when we found out we were going to have a second child. Having dealt with infertility issues and other medical problems, I was considered extremely high risk. My obstetrics doctor had scheduled an ultrasound right away so the baby could be monitored carefully. When I went in for the appointment, I was looking forward to getting ultrasound pictures and anxious to hear the baby's heartbeat. As the tech did the tests, he had a look of concern on his face. Normally, there's friendly chatting during the procedure, but not this time. I expected to meet with the… Read More

    November 21, 2023
  • Labor Verbalizing the Gospel

    A STAR THAT SHINES FOR JESUS

    Candace Cameron Bure rose to fame as a child actor in the late 1980s as D.J. Tanner on Full House. As an adult, she has appeared in countless Hallmark and Great American Family movies, as well as Dancing with the Stars, The View and Fuller House. She's a wife, a mother of three, a producer and a best-selling author. But she’s also become very well known for her love for Jesus. “While I am thankful for all of those opportunities and titles, I feel that the most life changing one I identify with is ‘Christian.’” writes Candace on her website. “I am… Read More

    November 15, 2023
  • Labor Mission Work

    TRAINING NURSES IN ETHIOPIA

    God used the Covid pandemic to prepare me to do something I never imagined. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was an orthopedic surgery nurse practitioner. The world was on lock-down, so surgery follow-up appointments were virtual and all elective surgeries were on hold. I sat in our empty clinic doing telemedicine visits primarily for knee and shoulder pain. Meanwhile, I heard reports from the hospital of countless Covid patients dying each week. The work I was doing was important, but the hospital desperately needed help, so I offered to go to the ICU. In those early days of Covid, we didn’t… Read More

    November 8, 2023
  • Food Prayer

    GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES

    As a young girl in 1979, my family packed up and moved from a very small town in Hamilton, Ohio to a rural part of the state called Morrow. Our previous home was quite small but this house was three stories and was built before the civil war. With three children under the age of ten, no running water, and no electricity at first, my parents had their hands full. Our nearest neighbors were over a mile away in any direction and our house was located on a busy highway called State Route 22. Until the water and electricity was working,… Read More

    November 1, 2023
  • Mission Work

    SHOWING CHRIST’S LOVE IN HONDURAS

    I needed an interpreter to speak to my patients. I always looked my patients directly in the eyes when I spoke with them, communicating as much through my eyes and body language as I could; then my interpreter would tell them exactly what I said. In turn, I’d listen as my patients spoke back to me, absorbing as much as I could through their gaze, facial expressions, and hand gestures, and then get the rest of the story back from the interpreter. On my first mission trip to the mountains of Honduras, our bus and truck were loaded up with a… Read More

    October 25, 2023
  • Loss Of Loved One Recovery Unique Ministries

    HEALING FROM A DEVASTATING LOSS

    On March 17, 2017, the unthinkable happened. We lost our only son, Justin, to suicide. This after battling a 10-year addiction problem. I can’t even begin to describe the pain, grief, hurt, anger, and depression that followed. I lost my faith in God. Though raised a Christian, I questioned everything I once believed. I’d been praying for God to help Justin, to take away the pain from the addiction, to take away the addiction all together. When we lost Justin, I felt as if my prayers were just ignored. I felt God apparently favored some people over others. I say this because all my life, I had seen prayers… Read More

    October 18, 2023
  • Labor

    GET MOVIN’ CHURCH

    Growing up in rural Indiana, I spent my childhood riding bikes and climbing trees. It’s not a surprise that I chose a career in corporate wellness. My job was to encourage employees to eat healthy and move more regularly. But after three decades and innumerable fitness campaigns, it became clear I’d been remiss in proffering the most important ingredient: surrender to the Spirit. After earnestly petitioning God about His plan for my life’s “third 1/3”, I felt Him calling me to bring the message of physical hope and healing to His Church. But how? I wanted to put my faith into… Read More

    October 4, 2023
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    A FISHER OF MEN

    I was born with no legs, no left arm and only a partial right arm. My whole life I've been told what I can't do, but I'm here to tell you what I can do. I’m a professional fisherman competing in the Bassmaster Open Series. And I’m a motivational speaker. When I’m fishing, I attach lures using his mouth. To cast my line, I wedge my fishing rod between my neck and shoulder. And once I cast the line, it's just fishing, like anyone else. As a kid, I always wanted to be a pro athlete. I wasn’t going to let my… Read More

    September 27, 2023
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Labor

    RUNNING ORPHANAGES IN PAKISTAN

    In light of recent Christian persecution in Pakistan, it is important to recognize and honor those doing the work of Jesus Christ in a mostly Muslim country. Only about 1% of the population openly identifies as Christians. On August 16, 2023, several hundred people were brutally attacked on a Christian settlement in Pakistan in the Punjab district, hitting too close to home for Rimsha Kamran, Sawera Shahbaz, and Faisal Masih. Together, these three believers in Jesus are running orphanages in Punjab, Pakistan, under the name of “Life Saving Ministries.” They have come together to serve children through Christ, and have combined… Read More

    September 20, 2023
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Labor

    ADOPTING ONE OF MY STUDENTS

    As a teacher, I never thought I would adopt one of my students, but you never know what the Lord has as His will for your life. I work at a school located in a very urban area. It’s a fairly rough school and there are a number of students who, unfortunately, are part of the Department of Children and Families. I’m used to seeing kids who come from difficult backgrounds. I felt nudged to get personally involved with one of my students several years ago. I discovered one of my first graders was not allowed to go back home. It broke… Read More

    September 13, 2023
  • Children Church Activities Mission Work

    BUILDING THE CHURCH IN KENYA

    The effects of HIV and AIDS have ravaged many families in Africa, and for Eldady Onkware, this is no exception. Though he was raised in a happy Christian family, at 6 years old, his mother passed away due to the progression of AIDS. From that point on, his life changed forever, as he was raised by relatives, while his father worked away from home. Unfortunately, he was overworked by his stepmother and injured badly by his brother. To add to his despair, his father also passed away due to HIV/AIDs at 14. His childhood was tumultuous, as he was thrown… Read More

    September 6, 2023
  • Children Labor

    TEACHING AT A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

    “Mr. Granger, what’s the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?”, a young student of mine asked. Following my simple and concise explanation, it registered in my mind that this young student didn’t own a Bible. “Would you like me to get you your own Bible?” I asked. Long story short, this young student is now reciting Old Testament stories in flying colors and perhaps ready to answer the same questions other students once asked. Teaching at a Christian private school is an incredible opportunity to positively influence the next generation of believers at the moment that they first find… Read More

    August 30, 2023
  • Homeless Loving Your Neighbor Mentoring

    MENTORING A YOUNG HOMELESS MAN

    I own God Body Gym in Memphis. One day, I found a young homeless man asleep in my car behind our building. I didn’t know at the time that God’s plan would be for me to mentor that young man, and my gym would become his home for the last nine months…and counting. And it’s clear that God was preparing me for this for almost a decade. About ten years ago, God got my attention. I owned a small company but I was getting into a little trouble, doing some things that weren’t right. My company experienced some turmoil, and I… Read More

    August 23, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    A JOURNEY OF REDEMPTION

    In the depths of my darkest days, consumed by addiction and despair, I found solace in the unwavering love and guidance of Jesus Christ. His divine intervention ignited a transformative journey that rescued me from the clutches of addiction and instilled within me a profound sense of purpose and a burning desire to serve others. Through my recovery and subsequent community advocacy work, I strive to demonstrate my unwavering love for Jesus Christ by embodying His teachings and spreading His message of hope and redemption. One of the ways I put my faith into action is by volunteering at a drive-thru… Read More

    August 16, 2023
  • Children Senior Citizens Unique Ministries

    HELPING SENIORS WITH TECHNOLOGY

    We are high school students in Ft. Myers who volunteer our time to teach computer literacy skills to senior citizens in local retirement homes. It was originally our way of getting community service hours, but we’ve now developed some special bonds and amazing friendships with these seniors. We’ve also had the opportunity to help these seniors stay connected with loved ones, engage in online activities and gain a sense of independence and self-confidence in a technology-driven society. We named our high school group, CLEO, Computer Literacy Education Outreach. We tell people that our goal is to bridge the digital divide between generations… Read More

    August 9, 2023
  • Children Church Activities Mentoring

    THE PURPOSE PROJECT

    In 2011, God gave me a heart and vision for middle and high schoolers. I wanted to open a center for youth that met them just where they were. So with only five teen interns and only a few hundred dollars to work with, the Catalyst Teen Center was born. In the beginning, Catalyst appeared like a regular youth group, but it quickly transformed into something never seen before. We began offering classes, everything from Forensic Science, guitar lessons, home economics, Japanese and more. The Teen Center provided a community the teens were starving for. All of them had gifts and… Read More

    August 2, 2023
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor

    WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

    When natural disaster inevitably strikes, my job takes me into the chaos and destruction that most people choose to evacuate and avoid. I’ve been working for a federal disaster relief agency for six years now and the crushing reality of disaster still devastates me. Somedays, I wonder why God called me into a job that’s physically, emotionally, and spiritually so hard and heavy. I live in hotels for months at a time, which keeps me away from my family for most of the year. I stay prepared to go wherever disaster strikes with little to no warning in advance. I work… Read More

    July 26, 2023
  • Labor Mission Work Verbalizing the Gospel

    A NOMAD FOR THE GOSPEL

    My childhood was far from normal and tainted with abuse, poverty, and dysfunction. Having never known a father’s love, I gave my heart away to the first boy who treated me nicely. As a result, I got pregnant at sixteen. The relationship became toxic, so after splitting up, I went back to school and started working. I graduated high school and a few years later, I graduated from Nursing School. Working and studying gave me a sense of pride. I had a business, my degree, money, my son, and a new boyfriend, I had everything. And yet,… Read More

    July 19, 2023
  • Children Hospital Loss Of Loved One

    Jessie’s JoyJars

    Our daughter, Jessica Joy Rees, was 11 when doctors discovered she had an inoperable and incurable brain tumor. They told us we would have 12-18 months with her. We were all devastated. We entered her into a very difficult clinical trial where she was subjected to 30 rounds of radiation and a daily dose of chemotherapy. Despite this grueling regimen, Jessie maintained an incredibly positive attitude. After her treatment one day, we were driving away from Children’s Hospital Orange County and she asked about all the sick children in the hospital that didn’t get to go home each day like she did.… Read More

    July 12, 2023
  • Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel

    NO LONGER CHASING THE WIND

    Chasing after the wind, I was a high schooler who longed for ‘the moment,’ whether it be a concert, sporting event, or school dance. Underneath it all, I knew I was living in the shadows; distracting myself from the consequences of my sin. I was addicted to my lusts, which were distracting me and only adding to the tab of consequences. The pandemic in 2020 was a shelter to the wind I was chasing. I had no wind to chase, and as a result, I longed for renewal with the God I was distracting myself from. I ended up giving my life… Read More

    July 5, 2023
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children

    THE SINGLE FOSTER MOM

    In the depths of my heart, a fire burned—a calling that could not be ignored. As a single mom, life had dealt its blows, but my faith in Christ remained my anchor. With trepidation and trust, I opened my home to foster children, answering God's whispered invitation. Jamal and La' Velle were the first, their laughter filling my once-empty rooms. Together, we journeyed—a dance of laughter, tears, and victories. In doubt, I turned to prayer, finding solace in God's unchanging love and His call to care for the vulnerable. More children came, each carrying their own stories of shattered dreams. In our… Read More

    June 28, 2023
  • Financial Help Loving Your Neighbor

    AN AMAZING LEGACY OF GIVING

    My dad did something every month for nearly 10 years that impacted countless people in our community. And he kept it totally quiet until a few weeks before he passed away. He gave a $100 bill every month to our local pharmacist, Brooke Walker, to help people in our small town of Geraldine, Alabama that needed assistance in paying for their critical prescriptions. He never wanted anyone to know where the money came from or how it was used. He just asked Brooke to use her judgment and to tell the recipient that “this is from someone that felt led by God… Read More

    June 21, 2023
  • Children Labor

    HELPING PREVENT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

    After teaching personal body safety to over 1,000 kids, I was inspired to write the Say NO! and TELL! books. Child sexual abuse is prevalent and increasing nationwide. I know too many friends and family who have experienced this trauma. The intervention, sharing a survivor story and recovery parts are growing strong in this movement, although I saw a gap in prevention education. Almost instantly, I had a vision about the butterfly telling her story plus scenarios to role-play. I wanted to create something light, bright, colorful and positive with an animal character delivering this prevention message. I realized that children… Read More

    June 14, 2023
  • Church Activities Labor

    REPAIRING AND RENOVATING CHURCHES

    In a bustling city filled with skyscrapers and noise, I’m a construction worker. My life was once marked by emptiness and uncertainty, but amidst the chaos, an unexpected encounter with Christ brought solace and purpose to my existence. During my early years, I wandered through life, desperately searching for meaning. Addiction and the weight of my past mistakes burdened me. Deep inside, I yearned for something more substantial than the hollow pleasures offered by the daily grind. One fateful day, as I took a break from my construction work, I stumbled upon a small, weathered church hidden in a forgotten corner of… Read More

    June 7, 2023
  • Food Homeless

    A MUSTARD SEED OF FAITH

    Through walking this life with Christ, I’ve had the chance to witness the miracles that come with having faith, but it still doesn't change the shock and warmth one feels when experiencing one of these miracles first hand. I'm very passionate about charity. Little did I know, that passion would make me worthy of feeling the miracles of Christianity on a day where a miracle was greatly needed. I was given the chance to orchestrate an incredible act of kindness, to be a part of an effort that provides the homeless with food and other basic necessities. We reached out to a… Read More

    May 31, 2023
  • Children Labor Special Needs

    GIVING MORE THAN A HAIRCUT

    What an incredible blessing it is for me to open up my barber shop once a month and spend my day off giving children with special needs a free haircut. This has become the day I always look forward to! And I can certainly see God's hand in how this all started. I’ve been cutting hair for 20 years and am now fortunate enough to have my own shop. I've always tried to provide a supportive environment for my clients, where they feel comfortable sharing stories of struggle and triumph, stories about good days and bad. We’ve been blessed to have… Read More

    May 24, 2023
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    FROM CANCER’S GRIP TO GOD’S GRACE

    Arriving home on my 21st birthday to a house filled with my beloved family, the air buzzed with anticipation of a joyous celebration. Little did I know that this day would forever be etched in my memory as a pivotal one. With a heavy heart and trembling voice, my dad mustered the courage to utter the words that had consumed our thoughts for the past hour, "She has cancer." The atmosphere instantly shifted from jubilation to a profound silence, punctuated only by the collective tears and anguished expressions of my loved ones. What was to be a celebration turned into a… Read More

    May 17, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles

    A COMPLETE SURRENDER

    Rock bottom was the place I called home at the age of 25. I was well loved and well taught as a child. But by 19, I was birthing the beautiful, blonde-headed boy I would come to find as my temporary saving grace. Yet, I couldn’t seem to see past my own insecurities. Instead of celebrating when 21 came around,  I was fighting off an abusive husband who’d turn to aggression, force, and violence to control me. I mistook this as love. As I turned 23, I had brought another life into the world with curls that even Shirley Temple would revere. As… Read More

    May 10, 2023
  • Labor Senior Citizens Unique Ministries

    BEAUTIFUL HAND-PAINTED BOOKMARKS

    I believe God can use anyone to fulfill His plans no matter how old you are. I’m 100 years old, and I paint freehand bookmarks with artwork on the front and “God Loves You” on the back. They’re distributed randomly to people we meet to remind them of God’s love. It's a simple way of getting out the most important message anyone can see. I truly think that if you're breathing, God can use you. Everyone has some type of gift that can be used for The Lord. Our gifts are all different. There is no point to just sitting on… Read More

    May 3, 2023
  • Other

    A NEW WAY OF LIVING

    As an Old Order Mennonite, I grew up with a strong and firm commitment to the traditions of my culture. From a young age, dressing modestly, abstaining from particular technologies, and yes, even using a horse and buggy to get around! Adhering to other moral codes of our religion were a way of life. However, as I got older, my faith and perspective toward the world around me drastically changed. I began to question my devotion to the religious customs and beliefs I had known my whole life. It wasn’t that I had lost my faith, but instead it was more… Read More

    April 26, 2023
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles

    EPILEPSY CHANGED HER LIFE

    My life changed dramatically five years ago. I woke up in the middle of the night to a room filled with emergency medical personnel. My husband lovingly told me that I had a seizure and we were going to the hospital. After being admitted, doctors determined I had experienced a grand mal seizure, or what is medically known as a tonic-clonic seizure. Over the next few months, I had some recurring impaired awareness seizures, and I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was the mom of a six-month old baby and worked full time in a career that I loved. Now because of… Read More

    April 19, 2023
  • Loving Your Neighbor Overcoming Obstacles

    MINISTERING TO WOMEN

    I was raised Catholic but became a believer in the 1970s. I then became distracted by the world and married a nonbeliever. However, God’s grace brought me back to Him when my first child was born. Becoming a mom pushed me to seek God’s help. Unfortunately as our family grew, my husband struggled with prescription drug addiction and abuse. Due to that and my upbringing, I strived to be perfect and attempted to fix and enable people. The more I did for my husband, the less he did for us. I lost myself being both mom and dad to our… Read More

    April 12, 2023
  • Children Hospital Overcoming Obstacles

    OUR CHERISHED GIFT FROM GOD

    “Your baby is missing his left eye.” With that one sentence, my life was forever changed. This was supposed to be a routine ultrasound where I would have the chance to finally see my precious baby and perhaps take home a picture. My husband and I had previously welcomed a little boy into our life and were looking forward to our second child. This news completely blindsided us but we prayed. Our family prayed. Our friends and their friends prayed for a miracle, that God would heal our baby, but sometimes God’s answer is “no” as it was for us. Our… Read More

    April 5, 2023
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles

    OUR MIRACLE DAUGHTERS

    When my former husband left me and the church to pursue what he thought to be higher truth, I could never imagine God redeeming that low point of my life and the shame that my former husband had heaped upon me. My God didn’t just bring me out of that dark place to the life I had wanted. He brought me to a life I never knew I could have asked for. I met a man whose whole family left Cuba as refugees. They immigrated to America to worship God freely and serve Him with their whole lives; not just in… Read More

    March 29, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    BATTLING LYME DISEASE

    This is the story of how God brought me through a difficult Lyme diagnosis. I had an ideal childhood, it was wonderful. But life was difficult, too. I experienced migraines, digestive issues, and more. I didn’t know what was wrong, but the Lord did. Finally, I took a Lyme test, which showed that I tested positive for Lyme. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection either from a tick which invades your body, or it’s passed down from one of your parents. It takes over your body and causes severe symptoms such as numbness, fatigue, joint pain, and headaches. Following my diagnosis… Read More

    March 22, 2023
  • Homeless Loss Of Loved One Mission Work

    HONORING OUR SON’S MEMORY

    To honor the memory of our six-year-old son who passed away, we started a ministry that builds houses for the impoverished and homeless in Honduras. How we became involved in this is truly the work of the Lord. In March 2020, our son, John Luke had an ATV accident. He was a healthy, happy, beautiful boy. My husband, a paramedic, worked on him and got his heart beating, and we were able to med flight him to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. He was put on a ventilator to sustain him, but the doctors prepared us for what was to come. He… Read More

    March 15, 2023
  • Church Activities Overcoming Obstacles

    ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STAGE

    I always had a vision of fame and my life’s purpose was music. I loved performing; if a stage was available, I wanted to be on it. I spent my high school years honing my craft in drama, chorus, and music class. I was good and the applause felt great. I knew that I wanted more of it. After graduating, I left home to start a band. I played bass and had a few talented friends that convinced me that we could make it on the big stage. I was sure we’d be discovered in no time and I’d achieve my… Read More

    March 7, 2023
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    BRAVELY FACING MY HEART ISSUES

    I am often known as “the girl who has heart issues”. I have a rare heart condition that led me to have open heart surgery at age 17. Several years later, I had to undergo two more open heart surgeries in just a three-week period. And last year, I was about to undergo a fourth heart procedure, but doctors were concerned about my blood count and discovered that I have leukemia. So, I'm currently in the midst of some very difficult chemotherapy treatments. I believe everyone has struggles and a story to tell. Some may look different than others; my struggles… Read More

    March 1, 2023
  • Labor Mission Work Verbalizing the Gospel

    A WORKPLACE MISSIONARY

    Before my feet hit the floor each day, I always thank God for the new day, telling Him He is Holy and righteous in all of His ways. This is the day the Lord has made and it is time to rejoice in it. Before work each day, I begin with prayer, a devotional, and listening to God’s Word through a sermon. In my time with God, I ponder with the expectation that my workplace is indeed God’s plan for my life. I hold in high regard that God has chosen me for this time… Read More

    February 22, 2023
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    COPING WITH MY INFERTILITY

    I thought I was broken. “I am a worthless wife if I can’t give my husband children.” This is one of the lies I was tempted to believe as I experienced my second miscarriage followed by the news that I had both genetic and blood clotting disorders. Both would not only increase my chances for another miscarriage but could also lead to my carrying a baby with a severe life-ending syndrome. Feelings of anger, isolation, low esteem, guilt, and anxiety were considered normal by the specialists treating me but there was more at work here than just feelings. I realized that there… Read More

    February 15, 2023
  • Homeless Verbalizing the Gospel

    FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

    Though I often live in darkness with no electricity, Jesus is my light. Though I may not have a fancy building or riches, Jesus dwells in my temple daily. I was born in Nigeria, but my parents both passed when I was young and I never received a proper education. I ended up spending much of my childhood sleeping on the streets, waiting for food, hope, and love. During my teen years, I was involved in a severe accident, where the bus I was traveling in rolled over six times. The details are blurry, but I remember a young girl placing a… Read More

    February 8, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    AN AMAZING TRANSFORMATION

    I grew up in a very secular home, I didn't go to church, and I never saw my parents read the Bible. I thought that if I just did whatever I wanted, without any rules or restrictions, then I would be happy. That's what my friends did, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. I saw no point in God, and instead of going to church, I would go to the local tattoo shop. The money I earned went towards my tattoos, alcohol and pot. By the time I was 22, my parents had disowned me and I was… Read More

    February 1, 2023
  • Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel

    RANDOM NOTES OF ENCOURAGEMENT

    I could not stop wasting time. It was crazy. I wanted to do something with my life. I wanted to help people, but instead, I went to sleep, sang in the shower, or sat and stared at the wall. I didn't talk to anybody. I was introverted from the moment I was born, it seemed. I wanted to reach people and show them the light of Jesus I had been shown as a young child, but I never had the right words to say. I felt there was no way to overcome my fear of talking and telling others about God's… Read More

    January 25, 2023
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Special Needs

    THE DOUGHERTY DOZEN

    Be careful what you pray for. We went through nine years of infertility and had at least 11 miscarriages. But I kept praying to become a mother. And God certainly answered my prayers—and then some—because now we have 12 children! When you have a dozen children, life is a little hectic. We do five loads of laundry every day. We spend over $1,000 each week on groceries and have four full-size freezers in our garage to store food. We recently purchased 12 lockers so the kids have their own space for their coats, backpacks and all their shoes. We need a 15-seat… Read More

    January 18, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    OUT OF THE DUST

    “I don't think I believe in God anymore and I no longer want to be married." What happens when the life you've built turns to complete dust? These are the devastating words I heard from my high school sweetheart and husband. He had been wrestling with his faith and had finally told me. Even though we were in ministry, he had been on his own quiet journey through addiction, doubts, and deconstruction. It is normal to wrestle with faith and fight to find truth, but his journey took him down a path that nearly destroyed us. After our painful divorce, he continued… Read More

    January 11, 2023
  • Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    A GRANDFATHER’S ANSWERED PRAYER

    My life has been in shambles on a number of occasions. But Jesus, and my grandfather, have rescued me from the depths of depravity to make me the Christ follower that I am today. My father was a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel and died in a collision when I was four, and my mom was eight months pregnant with my little sister. That was the first time my maternal grandfather stepped in to help guide my life and become our surrogate father. He was a solid Christian who became the anchor in our lives. From time to time,… Read More

    January 4, 2023
  • Children Homeless Loving Your Neighbor

    THE CIRCLE OF LOVE

    The Circle of Love is not just a toy drive where we supply Christmas presents each year to 700 children in need. It is a way to give forgotten children a sense of worth and value, a way to give them an ability to dream. We started The Circle of Love in 2004, and over these 19 years, we have touched over 8,000 children who live in shelters and in impoverished areas. You can never fully explain to a child why Santa Claus will not come to visit him and his family. For children in transitional housing, having gifts to open… Read More

    December 21, 2022
  • Church Activities Senior Citizens

    SERVING THE SENIOR ADULTS

    Although I grew up going to church, I didn't take God seriously until I was 20 years old. There were always things that I let get in the way of my relationship with God. In my teen years, I never really decided to give my life to Him. My sister and I are the third generation of my family to attend the Salvation Army church in our city. Our mother and grandmother set the example for us as women of God. Even though I attended church three times a week growing up, I still held my full heart back from the… Read More

    December 12, 2022
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE

    I had a heart attack at age 39 and doctors in the hospital told me my heart stopped beating for 45 minutes. I was dead. But those amazing doctors worked hard to bring me back to life by performing CPR for that entire time. Doctors placed me in an induced coma for nine days. When I was awakened, my life was substantially different. I now have to live with a pacemaker that keeps my heart beating properly. A lot of my memories were gone. But fortunately, I remembered my beautiful wife, Tanya, who never left my hospital bedside for the entire… Read More

    December 7, 2022
  • Church Activities Overcoming Obstacles

    A CHANGED LIFE

    When I was 16, I lived a life full of alcohol and drugs. I went through physical and sexual abuse, dealt drugs, faced self-harm, and honestly have no idea how I made it through alive. The year I turned 19, I was put in jail for the possession of multiple narcotics, and my mom put her house deed on the line to get me out of jail. I was only there for three days, but it was enough to shake me and show me what I needed to do to get out of this spiral. When I turned 20, I left my… Read More

    November 30, 2022
  • Hospital Labor Unique Ministries

    THE NICU BEAUTY BAR

    My daughter, Amelia, was born three months prematurely, and weighed only 1 pound 11 ounces. She was in the NICU for 125 days. It was tortuous, exhausting and scary. My husband and I were simply in survival mode for those four months. We totally relied on our faith to get us through. People surrounded us with prayer. I learned that the power of prayer is remarkable--there was a feeling of peace and calm that I can’t describe. I felt like the Lord was there with us throughout the entire ordeal. Remarkably, and by the grace of God, Amelia survived and is now… Read More

    November 22, 2022
  • Children Food Labor

    DELJEN’S SHAVED ICE

    I never would have thought our family would start a Shaved Ice business out of a food truck, especially when it was our six-year-old daughter’s idea. But it shows what we all can do if we just follow God’s prompting. When our daughter, Della, was 6, we found ourselves doing virtual school due to the pandemic. One day, I looked at her daily journal they had to compose for school, and it said, "I'm going to have a shaved ice business one day and my family is going to help me run it." I was more than taken back by this,… Read More

    November 16, 2022
  • Labor Special Needs

    UNLESS U

    My brother, Jordan, inspired us to start Unless U, a faith-based continuing education program in a college-like environment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Jordan was my best friend throughout my childhood. We had so much fun together. But other children did not understand his needs, so I learned at an early age to be his advocate. I also noticed that Jordan's disability doesn't limit his desire to have the same opportunities as others. He always wanted to be like everyone else. He did not understand it when my brother and I got to drive a car, and he couldn't; or… Read More

    November 9, 2022
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    TAKING MY VOICE BACK

    I had a secret that I hid for almost two decades. It was awful and I was ashamed. But I learned that what the enemy intended for evil, God can use for His glory. I had graduated from college and wanted to be an occupational therapist. I was working in a rehab facility and praying that God would help me get into graduate school. But I’m a person that does not do well on standardized tests. I took the GRE six different times and could never get the necessary score. My dream was shattered and I was left without a plan. What… Read More

    November 2, 2022
  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    TURNING MY PAIN INTO PURPOSE

    On this particular morning, I felt led to pray for my husband before I left for the day. I don’t remember the words that came out of my mouth, but I knew he was stressed at work. Normally, I would check in with him by text throughout the day and get a quick response. But I didn't hear back from him all day long. When I got home and he wasn't there, but his car was, I knew something was going on and immediately called the police. After two days of searching and praying, there was a knock at the… Read More

    October 26, 2022
  • Children Labor Overcoming Obstacles

    THE CHILDREN’S BURN CAMP

    God has blessed me to be the shepherd of some of His hurting children who have survived life-altering burn injuries. He’s allowed me to become the Executive Director of the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation. We put on a Children's Burn Camp every summer: about half of our campers have minor burns, but the other half have very serious burns over parts or all of their body. Our week-long camp in July is free to any child who has suffered a burn. The camp allows these burn survivors to have fun and just be kids. It's a beautiful location on 176 acres… Read More

    October 19, 2022
  • Homeless Prayer Verbalizing the Gospel

    TAKING JESUS TO THE STREETS

    I am a man who has a strong passion for the less fortunate. What I prefer to call it is a God-given burden for people. The city in which I live is one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden cities in the country. For the past 39 years, I have given my time and efforts to the homeless people of Flint and Detroit, Michigan. I donate whatever I can to them. More than clothes or food though, the most important thing we can give is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many in this world that feel hopeless. But we… Read More

    October 12, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Homeless

    FROM THE TRASH TO A TREASURE

    When I woke up that day, I was completely unaware that my life was about to change forever. I was in college at Texas State University and was visiting my hometown in Haiti on New Year’s Eve of 2017. I was on my way to help in an orphanage where I had been a volunteer for several years when I saw a crowd of about 20 people around a trash can. There was an infant child crying hysterically and lying naked in the trash, covered with fire ants. The people around the trash were just staring at the child. There is a… Read More

    October 5, 2022
  • Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    A TRUE FRIENDSHIP

    When I was 13, I started going to a new church. I was hesitant to get involved. Like most teens, I didn't enjoy being the new kid. As time passed, I began making a few acquaintances. One day, I overheard a girl inviting everyone over to her house for a sleepover. I noticed that I wasn't included, so I jokingly interjected. As much as she apologized and begged me to come, I couldn't help but feel it was a forced invitation on my behalf. But I went, and it was a night filled with typical girly activities. We had a blast! Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling… Read More

    September 28, 2022
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Mission Work

    HOPE HEALTH CENTER

    Every part of your life depends on you having good health. When most people think of health, they consider only their physical condition, but as a doctor, I repeatedly see that our spiritual condition is also a huge factor. Hope Health Center was started so that, like Jesus’ examples in the Gospels, we could address both the physical and spiritual needs of those who come to us. Our mission is to share the hope found in Jesus Christ while providing excellent whole-person healthcare to a very medically underserved community. That’s why we placed our medical clinic in the… Read More

    September 21, 2022
  • Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    MISS OVERCOMER

    With all I have gone through I should be a statistic! Thankfully, the Lord had another plan. Between 2013 and 2015, my previous three decades of hardship culminated into a trifecta of even more heartache. My mother died prematurely. Six months later, I realized my 25-year marriage was coming to an end. A few months later, my father also passed away.  The back-to-back devastation felt like a tsunami on my soul. All I could think about was the pain and shock of losing so many things that meant the most to me. My family was gone. My… Read More

    September 14, 2022
  • Overcoming Obstacles Verbalizing the Gospel

    DISCOVERING JESUS AGAIN AFTER 9/11

    We were awakened by an explosion that shook our building. We ran to our terrace on the 24th floor, just six blocks from the World Trade Center. Above us was thick, black smoke coming from the North Tower. Right from our terrace, we watched as a second plane came roaring overhead and struck the South Tower. The impact hurled us backward into our living room and knocked us unconscious. When we came to, we ran down the stairs, barefoot and wearing pajamas. Soon after, the towers fell, covering us with dust as we desperately searched for a clear air pocket. We were… Read More

    September 7, 2022
  • Loving Your Neighbor Overcoming Obstacles

    LOVING AND SERVING OTHERS

    I live with pain every day of my life, and yet my schedule is packed full. If I’m not helping a young mom, I’m running errands with a vision impaired friend, or sending cards of encouragement. People ask, “How do you keep going when you have so much pain?” I tell them if I stop, I will give up. I do fight discouragement because of my pain and limitations. Some days, I feel useless. But God gives me strength to press on. Any good I do or happiness I give to others is only because of God’s grace. I suffer from severe arthritis… Read More

    August 31, 2022
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Verbalizing the Gospel

    CROSSES IN MY POCKET

    For more than 10 years, I have enjoyed making small wooden crosses and giving them away to random people. We all run into people from time to time that seem distressed, troubled or overwhelmed. I try to find a way to give them a cross. As I offer the crosses, I usually say, “The cross reminds me that God is good.” I seek opportunities to give them away as often as possible. I hand them to anybody I run into during the course of the day. It might be my waiter at the restaurant or the receptionist at the doctor’s office.… Read More

    August 24, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Unique Ministries

    STAND UP GIRL

    When a young single girl gets a positive pregnancy test, she is scared and confused. A lot of times, she doesn’t know what to do with the baby or where to turn, and usually ends up frantically searching for information on the Internet. And that is the reason StandUpGirl.com was created. Our online Christian ministry is a virtual pregnancy resource center that is available to these girls anytime and anywhere in the world. StandUpGirl.com helps these girls find life-affirming information that we hope helps them to choose life for their baby. On the website and social media, she'll find thousands of personal… Read More

    August 17, 2022
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries

    GEEZER MOWING

    Geezer Mowing is a group of old guys who cut grass for free for people in our community going through a difficult time. It began several years ago when our friend's daughter went to Duke University for a double lung transplant. Both parents stayed with her for months, so a couple of us started cutting their grass on the weekends. We didn’t tell anybody but someone saw us mowing and mentioned it to one of our church's pastors. He worked with the senior adults, and would hear of older people that had become ill and unable to take care… Read More

    August 10, 2022
  • Labor Mission Work Unique Ministries

    SAFE WATER AFRICA

    Access to safe, clean drinking water is one of the world’s most serious humanitarian problems. Worldwide, unsafe water and lack of sanitation kill over 30,000 people each month, with children affected the most. Safe water can transform an entire community suffering from waterborne sickness and disease to a much healthier one where people can focus on education, opportunity and faith. Several of us took a mission trip to Tanzania and saw first-hand the critical need for safe clean water. As a result, we launched a nonprofit called Safe Water Africa eight years ago to address this need. Our basic mission… Read More

    August 3, 2022
  • Unique Ministries

    HELPING COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

    I am consistently amazed by the ways God works to extend His mercy and grace when we as Christians stay open to His leading. In my life, a change in plans for a business venture thwarted sex trafficking in my community and resulted in a local refuge for women escaping such trauma. Neither outcome was envisioned when I and a Christian brother partnered in a rental real estate business with the goal of giving to Kingdom work from the profits. I run a structural metal manufacturing company and I have a heart for missions, so I was excited by the opportunity.… Read More

    July 27, 2022
  • Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries

    TRYING TO ERADICATE POVERTY

    I grew up with a single mother and four siblings. Hardship was no stranger. Sometimes, we had no place to call home, and as a kid, I thought my circumstances meant I should dream small. God gracefully proved me wrong. In 2010, He gave me an ambition that destroyed the box I once dreamed in: a dream to eradicate poverty through community outreach and free acts of service. God showed me what once disqualified me in some places now qualifies me in others. He brought me out of poverty so I could tell others, “You can make it.” In 2012, I put… Read More

    July 20, 2022
  • Children Mentoring Overcoming Obstacles

    MENTORING GIRLS IN YOUTH HOMES

    Life can be very difficult and challenging for any child that doesn’t have a secure home environment. And I certainly did not. My father wasn’t in my life and my mom was an alcoholic. She went to rehab and thought she was better, but relapsed and was unable to care for me. At age 10, I was taken to Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing to find a loving, stable environment. Most every child that lives in a home like this is riddled with doubts, no matter how good the children’s home may be. Are we loved? Why are… Read More

    July 13, 2022
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles

    MY BLESSED CHARIOT TO HEAVEN

    When the neurologist told me with tears in his eyes that I had ALS and there is no known cure, the room grew silent. But my mind focused on a beautiful image: this disease will be my Blessed Chariot that will carry me home to be with Jesus forever. Typically, there is a three to five-year life expectancy for a person with ALS, but my symptoms started in my mouth, so research says my life may be even shorter. I really don’t know how much time I have but I know that God is in charge. And I plan to live… Read More

    July 6, 2022
  • Other

    BRINGING HOPE AND HEALING TO WOMEN

    Feeling trapped and scared with an unplanned pregnancy, I entered the abortion clinic resolute in my decision that it was not the right time for me to have a baby. Just weeks away from graduating with a nursing degree, I was eager to start my career and decided to “fix” my problem secretly without disappointing my Catholic parents. I left the clinic feeling relief. Now I could get on with my life. But that abortion wrecked me. Scarred emotionally and spiritually, I was wounded internally by a sin that changed my whole identity. Efforts to continue suppressing my shame and guilt failed… Read More

    June 29, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Special Needs

    ADOPTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

    I was a single mother of two when I answered God’s clear call to adopt and foster children with Down syndrome and other life-threatening medical conditions. It has been quite a wild and demanding ride but it has brought me so much closer to the Lord, and, in looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. How I got to this point requires some explanation: I got divorced when I was pregnant with my second child. It was right around the holidays, and I was devastated. I cried out to God that this was not how I ever imagined my life when… Read More

    June 22, 2022
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles

    INSPIRING BLOOMS

    I was serving at an orphanage in El Salvador when my life started unraveling. Hearing the stories of trauma triggered my own childhood wounds and memories. I was able to hold it together until my term finished, but back in the United States, I had a complete breakdown. I became deeply depressed and developed out of control OCD. For several years I only tried to deal with my anxiety and depression spiritually—pray more, read the Word more. I didn’t start improving until I was finally willing to look at the physiological aspects. I started going to extensive therapy and taking medicine.… Read More

    June 15, 2022
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries

    REPAIRING CARS, ALTERING LIVES

    I take donated, broken-down cars, fix them up and then give them to low-income families in rural South Carolina that are in desperate need of transportation. It can totally transform that person's life. It is an absolute blessing to do this and I can see the Lord’s hand in how all this got started. I love to barbecue, especially ribs made from my great grandmother’s recipe that has been passed down in my family since 1898. My friends love them, and they convinced me to enter a rib cooking competition in September 2019. I’d never done anything like that but I… Read More

    June 8, 2022
  • Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    SANCTUARY IN TRAUMA

    My world blew up nine years ago because a loved one’s secret sin, when exposed, led to his imprisonment. I was suddenly left to provide for and protect my four children. The challenge was enormous as a stay-at-home who had been in ministry for 20-plus years. I lacked emotional, physical, and spiritual strength as a broken person searching for dignity and solutions in the midst of devastation. While the Lord had been my rock and salvation since childhood, I was shaken to my core. Christian friends and family carried me through the darkest of days, as well as a complete stranger who… Read More

    June 1, 2022
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles

    CUDDLES FOR CLEFTS

    When I was pregnant with my second child, I went in for a routine doctor’s appointment at 19 weeks. I was stunned when the doctor came back and told me our son would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. I instantly became a pool of tears. The doctor really didn’t know how to handle such a diagnosis. He told me to pick a strong name for my son and then hurried me out the door. Our family was shocked. I felt alone and desperate. I could only focus on the television images I’d seen where… Read More

    May 25, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children

    ASSISTING FOSTER FAMILIES

    I understand how important a loving, stable environment is to the well-being of a child. I grew up with parents who were continually trying to figure out their marriage and careers. Because of that, I was often left alone. Except during summer! The excitement and anticipation grew throughout the end of the school year, knowing that I would soon board the plane that connected me to my grandmother’s world; a world of consistency, encouragement, and fun! As I grew older each year, the excitement of those months never diminished. I still cannot wait for the time to come to visit Grammy… Read More

    May 18, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Hospital Loss Of Loved One

    FULFILLING HER PATIENT’S DYING WISH

    I was a nurse in the oncology unit of a hospital when one of my cancer patients asked me a question that took me completely off-guard. She asked if I would take care of her eight-year-old son, Wesley, if she passed away. We had only known each other for 10 days. Tricia had some stomach pains and a CT scan revealed she had an extremely rare form of vascular cancer. She had undergone a number of difficult chemotherapy treatments which had some devastating side effects. She got extremely sick very quickly, and had to be hospitalized. As her nurse on her first… Read More

    May 11, 2022

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Adoption/Foster Care 37
Children 156
Church Activities 59
Financial Help 18
Food 40
Homeless 33
Hospital 41
Labor 160
Loss Of Loved One 37
Loving Your Neighbor 66
Mentoring 48
Mission Work 51
Other 12
Overcoming Obstacles 104
Prayer 54
Prison Ministry 11
Recovery 43
Senior Citizens 22
Special Needs 46
Unique Ministries 160
Verbalizing the Gospel 73
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