Stories - Page 16 of 88 - 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 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 were healthy. At that time, Seth was a part-time youth minister in Clermont, and I was a full-time teacher. We both felt I really needed to be home with the children. This meant Seth would need more hours, but our church was unable accommodate. We ended up moving, and Lake City Christian Church offered Seth a full-time youth minister position. With our family over three hours away, our new church quickly became like family. Once our girls were about two, we thought we were ready to have more children. For several years, we tried to no avail. A doctor told me I had polycystic ovarian syndrome. Normally when people take Clomid for this, they get pregnant, but I did not. We considered in vitro but then I finally got pregnant. We fully believed this was God’s timing once again. There were no plans for an ultrasound right away, but we really wanted to know if we could be having twins again. It’s rare,… 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 poison. Still, this did not convince her. That weekend was my birthday and I had to go to Jacksonville for my work. This rarely happened, and I asked her if she would go with me so we could spend time together and try to work on our marriage. This was the woman I still wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and we were close to divorcing. She didn't want to go, but changed her mind at the last minute. Late that evening, we went to dinner. The next morning, she said she wasn't feeling well. At first, we thought maybe she had food poisoning but when she was not able to get up and her bowel let loose, I called for an ambulance. They initially agreed it might be food poisoning but when she went unconscious, we knew it was serious. Because we were in Jacksonville, we were only 15 minutes from the Mayo Clinic. This is why I believe… 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 the challenges that lay ahead of her and the rocky path that would follow. Her childhood was tumultuous, with her parents arguing relentlessly and eventually divorcing. Richelle was used to being “scooped up” from one relative’s house to another, and after her parents’ divorce, she was eventually sent to live at her Christian aunt’s house. Though she didn’t always like her aunt’s rules, she agreed with her on one thing: she didn’t like her dad’s drinking. Unfortunately, despite her critique of her father, Richelle ended up becoming an even worse alcoholic than him. One day, she woke up and the world around her looked eerily brown, and her eyes were hauntingly yellow. She desperately prayed to God not to go blind, and she went to the doctor only to find out the most disheartening news: she had end stage liver disease. Richelle, in her distress, continued to pray. She realized God was her only hope for survival, and in September 2022, she received… 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 12 weeks, but the effects were short-lived. Whenever there was a setback, I would be angry and blame God and wonder why I was still here. Eventually, I sought more help because my addictions to medications for sleeping, anxiety, and mood stabilizers was out of control. I was abusing them to the point where I was so high that I fell asleep in my car, in front of a store, while the vehicle was still running. Luckily, my cousin happened to come by and found me. She woke me up by beeping her horn and asked me what I was doing. I said I really had no idea. After that, my mom took my keys away, and I began therapy. There was so much I needed to talk about with someone who would not judge me. During this time, my aunt sent me a book about God, and I quickly read it. She then sent me the Good News Bible and began sending me… 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 point his abdomen was swollen and extended, the people there seemed to be unmoved. They walked over this child like he did not exist. So torn up by this, my husband turned to me and said, “We are to go to Honduras.” I asked him, “When?” He said he wasn't sure, but we would wait for God to let us know. My father-in-law had also become quite ill then. We rushed to visit him, and he said to Denny, “Son, you’ve been talking about going on the mission field. If you are waiting on my blessing, go. It’s time for you to go.” He told us he was feeling fine and we should go home. Early that next morning, we got the call that he was struggling, and he sadly passed before we could reach him to say goodbye. When we finally felt the nudge to go to Honduras, we reserved a room at the Hotel Sula in San Pedro. Denny said he… 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 and invited eight of his classmates over the next Wednesday. I served them bacon, eggs, pancakes and fruit. They had a great time at my house, and it was wonderful for me to be surrounded by these kids. These are the most polite and loving kids you’ll ever find. As they were leaving, they asked, “What are we having for breakfast next week?” So a tradition started. Each Wednesday, they would show up at 7:00 and I’d serve them a hearty breakfast. But one awful day, so much of my world changed. Sam was killed in an accident. When Sam passed away, people did their best to comfort me. My neighbors got me some flowers and shrubs, and planted a garden in my front yard; they even displayed a picture of Sam. His friends checked on me every single day to see what I needed and what they could do for me. You think the grief will get easier but it doesn’t. I know… Read More

January 17, 2024

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 39

Church Activities 61

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 48

Loving Your Neighbor 69

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 137

Prison Ministry 13

Senior Citizens 23

Special Needs 49

Unique Ministries 176

Verbalizing the Gospel 80

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