Stories - The Christian Heart

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?

Recovery
FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT PATH

My life looked perfect. I was 19 years old, but deep down, I felt an emptiness. I suffered from depression. I felt I had no future, no meaning in life. There was a voice telling me horrible things about myself. I tried to find happiness in parties and became addicted to sex. But ten minutes of carnal desire did not give me peace. Hours later, the depression would return. Since I was a little girl, my aunts took me to church, but I never believed in God. I felt I was my own God. I didn't want to follow rules. I wanted the things of the world. But every day, that world disappointed me more and more. As a teenager, I continued to visit the church, sporadically, and one day I heard a song that touched my heart: Joy, joy, I wanted it but I was looking for it where there was none, but one day Christ, the giver of life, gave me the joy I wanted; Peace, peace I wanted peace, but I was looking for it where there was none... In the praises and the preaching, I found everything I needed: peace, comfort and love. I was about to turn 20, and for the first time in my life, I knelt down before God and said, “If you are real, I am going to give you this decision and let you guide me.” God's answer was not long in coming. Within a week, I was in the emergency room for appendicitis, had surgery and was hospitalized for 10 days due to complications.… Read More

November 5, 2025
Loss Of Loved One Recovery
EMBRACING GOD’S COMFORT

At the end of a busy day in my 34^th week of pregnancy, I realized I hadn’t felt my baby move. A hospital ultrasound confirmed the terrible truth: my baby girl had died. I wasn’t in the habit of praying. I did believe Jesus was my savior and had accepted Christ into my life at the age of 8. But by the time I left for college, and even after I got married and had my son, church was just a weekly ritual. Even though I believed, I just didn’t feel prayer or a relationship with God was necessary. I was fine. Life was “good.” But on January 17, 2005, my “good” life turned completely upside down. The next day, I delivered my daughter. I was able to hold her and love on her for several hours. But then I had to say my final goodbye. The grief that followed was unimaginable. This is how my prayer life restarted: with anger. I had MANY conversations with God, questioning His ways. Questioning His love. I needed His healing so badly, but I shut Him out. But God was completely looking out for me during my grief. The people He’d already placed in my life stepped up to help me as I healed, surrounding me with love and prayer. It took time, but the presence of God’s love in their hearts gradually soaked into my own. I began to realize I needed to embrace, not blame, God. That I couldn’t get through this without Him. I let him in. I prayed. I experienced the freedom—the relief—that comes from trusting… Read More

October 29, 2025
Children Church Activities Senior Citizens
HELPING KIDS LEARN ABOUT JESUS

At 76, I’m old now, but I’m still perkin’. I’m an extrovert, and I love to welcome people and make them feel at home at church. I’m trying to live a good life and find avenues where I can have an effect. I consider myself a back-slappin’, hand-shakin’, hand-clappin’ kind of guy; a Barnabus. I can build people up, encourage them, and be a friend. I’m a creature of the 50s and 60s where most of my ministry is now, but I taught school and coached for 37 years, so I also love the kids. As I’ve gotten older, what worries me is that it seems the church is losing the youth, so after I retired from teaching middle school, I continued to substitute. I love to communicate with people of all ages, so to stay connected to the teens, I created a collection of what I call, “Substitute Raps.” The kids loved them, and they even made their way around social media. Not long ago, however, I realized that the only age level of kids I hadn’t really tried to influence were the primary school ones. That changed when I started going with my son to the Goodwill store. While he browsed for relics, I made my way over to the book section. That’s when I noticed all of the young children’s Bibles, Bible story books, and Christian literature. I knew exactly what I could do. Each time we went, I bought all the books that were in good shape and took them to the Sunday school teacher at church who taught… Read More

October 22, 2025
Labor Mentoring
LEADING WITH A HEART FOR GOD

As the Principal of a public elementary school, Zac Bauermaster’s job is to inspire and empower his teachers, support staff, families, and—most importantly— the next generation every single day. God has given us all gifts, talents and abilities. Zac feels it’s up to him to make sure his staff and teachers use their gifts to bring out the best in their students. Zac’s approach to being a Principal was really shaped when he and his wife walked their oldest daughter to the bus stop for her first day of kindergarten. “Her backpack was bigger than she was. I cried walking home with my wife, and I remember thinking, ‘we are sending the school our very best; we need our school to give her their very best.’” In order to do this in his elementary school, it’s his calling to create an encouraging school environment where adults want to work, kids are excited to learn, and families trust and are proud to send their children. He wants kids to be excited to be at school. He wants them to know him and see that he cares. Between classes, you'll usually find Zac giving high fives and fist bumping students. He feels that the hallways in his school are for relationship building. But Zac is not just a rah-rah guy. He likes to go deep with people. He wants them to know that he’s walking alongside them. The primary way he does this is by trying to reflect Jesus in how he lives and leads. “I love Jesus,” says Zac. “I was fortunate to grow up in a home where my… Read More

October 15, 2025
Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles
ECHOES OF AN ANCHOR

My mother was always my anchor. She was my safe place where I never felt judged, and I could let it out and still be loved. Her death two years ago left my world in shambles. She did her best to raise her boys to be good men, teaching us love, kindness and a work ethic. Through the years, my mother became my best friend; the one I could turn to for anything, who knew just what to say, when to listen, and when to set me straight. I will never forget that call; my mother was gone. Falling into a sea of despair, blaming God for everything. Attempting to cope with her death and my personal affairs, I turned to alcohol. It slowly became a problem. As new parents, my wife and I were already struggling in our relationship, trying to figure out this new life. Alcohol added to our struggle, leading her to lash out, and I closed myself off. I came home one evening after getting my “usual”, and woke up in a puddle of blood. My wife was on the phone getting help, my son was sitting there looking at me, and later I found out he was the one who witnessed it all. That was it, I had to change. My family needed me, and I was letting them down. Recovery would be slow, but I went to counseling. After my feelings had settled, I began attending church with my family. I realized my path was not one my mother would approve of. Attending church allows me to feel close… Read More

October 8, 2025
Recovery Verbalizing the Gospel
GOD HEARD ME

Life happens. Relationships splinter, finances are squeezed, and pressures mount. For me, this meant consuming large amounts of alcohol. It was my valve for releasing pressure and granting momentary relief. Yet, as any addict will confess, there was never enough to fill the void. I realized I was not being true to myself, so I stumbled into AA and dedicated four years to going nearly every day. The meetings often discussed the “big book,” which outlined principles for defeating addiction. While it helped me stay sober, the emptiness remained. The “big book” reminded me of another book I’d read as a child—a book that reveals the “way, the truth, and the life.” Finding Christ again through the Bible, the “bigger book” as I now call it, has filled my heart with contentment like never before. God comes first in my life. I don’t hide my faith from employees, nor am I shy to discuss it with strangers. I participate in a men’s Bible study and close my emails with “God bless.” Since my sobriety, God has blessed me with a wife and two kids, relationships that I cannot imagine flourishing without Christ at the center. Life still happens. Relationships need care, finances require attention, and pressures still arise. But the difference now is what or who I turn to. Today, I know the Lord does wonders for the faithful. Today, I believe that when I call upon Him, He hears me. Life will happen to you, too. When it does, I pray my simple story leads you away from the bottle or other temporary fixes… Read More

October 1, 2025

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 61

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 47

Loving Your Neighbor 68

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 133

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 23

Special Needs 49

Unique Ministries 176

Verbalizing the Gospel 80

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