Stories - Page 12 of 81 - 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?

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 around from family member to family member, often abused and mistreated. He was baptized in water and by the Holy Spirit in high school, and this is when he received a vision from God: a vision to help children just like him, ravished by conditions of poverty, instability, and at times, severe hunger. Still, Eldady never lost hope. Eldady may be an unusual name for Americans, but there is a story behind it. Originally named Brian at birth, he was prayed over as a child, and the pastor changed his name to Eldad, which means “favored by God.” His dad misspelled it and added the ‘y’. To this day, his name is always a reminder of his father. Now, he is the founder of Irima Church of God, with the mission to create a “Heavenly Home for Orphans” in Kisii, Kenya. This is an extremely rural area, with about half of the people living in substantial food poverty. Despite the challenges, he has… 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 interest in God. In Matthew 19, Jesus pronounced, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” As a disciple of Christ, I get to join the building of his Kingdom and be his hands and feet to serve my students and point them to Jesus in all that I do. Another verse that comes to mind is in 1Corinthians 10, where Paul writes “Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or not, do it all to the glory of God!” As a PE coach, I ask myself what this is supposed to look like. When I do my job, I have the objective to make physical exercise a fun experience that the kids look forward to. Far too often, students dread Physical Education, and these same students may end up dreading exercise for the longevity of their life following their poor experiences with it growing up. Throughout this past summer,… 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 turned to God for the first time in a while. I had fallen away from my faith, but I knew I needed to return to Him now. So I asked God what I needed to change or stop doing. And He clearly gave me an answer to go down a very different road in my life. So I obeyed, but I didn’t know what road He wanted me to travel. As I was praying and asking Him what I should do, I got a message that He wanted me to go to cooking school. I thought, “Really?” A lot of things in life don’t make sense when you first hear it or see it, but it does make sense in the long run. So I went, and became a personal chef. I guess I was pretty good at making food because I started to gain a lot of weight myself! I didn’t like how I looked, so I began focusing on my personal life… 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 food pantry. As I serve the community, I provide essential food supplies and seize the opportunity to connect with individuals and share words of encouragement and faith. It is a tangible way to demonstrate the transformative power of Christ's love. Advocacy has also now become a way of life, serving at the North Carolina Legislative Building. My passion for advocacy is fueled by the values instilled in me by my faith in God. Guided by Jesus's teachings, I raise my voice to support accessible treatment options, improved education about addictions, and the availability of community resources. By standing up for the brokenhearted, I embody the call of Jesus to uplift and bring healing to those who have been marginalized and forgotten. As a Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, I am privileged to demonstrate Christ's love in my work on a daily basis. By providing guidance, empathy, and understanding to individuals battling addiction, I strive to be a… 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 by empowering senior citizens with skills and knowledge needed to navigate today’s digital world. This all started when we were in 10^th grade. My friend Aaron and I were laughing about how much our grandparents struggle with technology. And then the thought hit us: why don’t we do something about it. My grandparents live in Trinidad and Tobago, and Aaron’s live in Israel. We realized we couldn’t help our grandparents very often, but we set out to find a way to help other grandparents in our community. We sent an email to Brookdale Senior Living which is located down the street from our high school. It went unanswered for some time. We were determined to follow up on our idea, and it was before we could drive, so we walked there one day after school. We met with the director and asked her if she thought her residents could use some help with learning how to better use their phones, computers and email.… 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 talents they longed to pursue, and these classes finally provided a way for them to harness those talents. It truly began to show them the unique design God had built into all of them. What made this even more incredible was we saw it provided a bridge from the unchurched to Church. We saw students came because the classes met an immediate need, but they stayed because of the relationships they built with our volunteers and youth leaders, which led to the Gospel. Additionally, in the past several years, we opened our “Purpose Project,” which is a nationwide mentoring program designed to help troubled youth clearly see their unique design and purpose in a matter of hours instead of years. Today, we have over 100 certified Purpose Project Guides (aka Mentors) across seven states who commit one hour a week for six weeks to students all over the United States in an effort to show them who God… Read More

August 2, 2023

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 59

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 38

Loving Your Neighbor 66

Mission Work 51

Overcoming Obstacles 111

Prison Ministry 11

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 160

Verbalizing the Gospel 73

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