Stories - Page 19 of 83 - 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?

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 now at this particular Goodyear store. It's more than a job; it's a place of ministry. I never know who is going to walk into the doors of my shop. Each person presents a different story or need. Seeing each customer as a new opportunity to share encouragement or the Gospel, I am honored to be where I am at that point in time to be a vessel of God’s love and good news. I watch people and listen to them. If I see someone hurting, for example, I will ask if I can pray for them. Jesus knows their situation and I am not afraid to pray with them in the moment if they are willing. I am unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and love to share His love poured out for me with others. I simply allow the heart of God to move in the situation as I show compassion to them. My strength and… 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 was a root cause, negative thoughts which, when left unchecked, led to actions. Each of these feelings gave rise to its own negative attitudes such as low self-esteem because of my body’s inability to have children. This is a basic process, normal for every woman: the ability to bear a child, yet I could not. Another emotion I experienced was anger that was silently directed at God. After all, if He truly loved me and really was good, He wouldn’t have denied my longing to be a mother. Instead of taking these thoughts and emotions to God, I shared them with everyone else. While they listened sympathetically, there was nothing they could do to soothe my soul. I finally came to realize this truth when I was utterly exhausted from trying to deal with it all in my own way. After such a long, unfruitful season of attempting to handle it on my own, I poured out my heart to the… 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 handkerchief over my head and praying for me. This is just one of the near-death experiences of my life, and I continued to try and find hope in the world, doing odd jobs and making some money. On Sunday, March 16, 2010, I decided to go to church. That day, it was like the sermon was made just for me. Jesus came into my heart that day, and following that, I was given many vivid dreams, one in which Jesus told me to be the first one among those I knew to enter the church. Surprisingly, when I started doing that, the church appointed me as one of the ushers and my life changed forever. I was now in charge of leading people into the house of the Lord, both figuratively and literally. I was still homeless, but Jesus continued to send me dreams and hope. These dreams led me to begin preaching to many communities in Nigeria, which is full of… 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 living on the streets. I could never seem to stay in a relationship for more than a few months. I craved attention from others and it never really seemed like I could fill that cup. When I met my husband, we immediately began trying for children. When my daughter was born, so much changed. I wanted to do everything right. For once in my life, I felt like I had a reason to keep waking up in the mornings. But we were broke, we were living in an apartment, we were jobless, and I didn't know where to turn. I still rejected God. Instead I would find myself reading tarot cards, or trying to "manifest" my happy ending. That yearning for fulfillment never ceased. I always felt like something wasn't quite right. I would often ask myself, “Why can't I just be happy?" I wanted to do better for my daughter but I felt like everything I tried to do to reach… 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 love. Every single person you meet has their own story. There are no exceptions. You become a part of it by how you treat them. We all have stories we won't ever tell. I learned at a young age that most people hide their hurt and traumas behind a beautiful mask. I have a gift for seeing through the masks, the pain, and the emotions they try to hide. That's what got me into writing random notes of encouragement. Perfect for me who never has had the right words to speak, but I have always had the words to write. I began to write words of encouragement and uplifting scripture on pieces of paper. I would always ask the Lord to give me the words to express to others how beautiful His love is for them. Then I would go throughout my day in the city and place them in library books, restaurant menus, coffee shops, airports; wherever anyone could find them. It… 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 passenger van to go anywhere. I go to bed at 11 each night and wake up at 4 in the morning to get everything done. It's amazing what you can get done if you're on the go for 19 hours each day! Our days are loud and full of chaos, but they’re also meaningful and full of love. We became known as The Dougherty Dozen in a fairly unique way. During the pandemic lockdown, we were losing our minds because we were all quarantined together. Imagine all of us in the same house 24 hours a day for months on end. Since the kids were doing their school work from home, we were forced to upgrade the wi-fi in our house to a business account because we were using so much bandwidth. It was getting a little claustrophobic in our house and our nerves were frayed, so I started making silly videos to entertain our family and make them laugh. Just… Read More

January 18, 2023

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 39

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 118

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 169

Verbalizing the Gospel 77

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