Stories - Page 2 of 84 - 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 Homeless Labor Unique Ministries
KETURAH’S HAVEN

My story started in Jamaica when I was 17. I left home because I disliked my parents’ strict rules. When I left to live with my brother, I found myself in a situation that was not conducive to a young girl. After four weeks, he tried to return me to my parents. Halfway there, I decided I was old enough and responsible enough to find a job without having a place to live. A man near my father’s age offered me a big job. I thought he would protect me, but he took me into his home, and I lost my innocence. He turned me out after four weeks. At that time, I was homeless. Thankfully, a kind lady took me in for several months. I was able to find employment and go to school for my career. Later, I married and had three children, but I left my husband and came to America with them. In 2002, I began volunteering at a pregnancy center in Daytona, Florida, where I worked with pregnant and abused women who shared similar experiences to mine. I loved working with them. In 2008, I moved to Texas with my second husband, and in 2009, I volunteered with a pregnancy center in Katy. While mentoring a young woman, she mentioned how, at 17, she was kicked out of her home and trafficked. This triggered a memory for me, and I wept, realizing I could have been just like her if God had not protected me. Ever since I accepted Jesus when I was 13, I have always believed He was protecting… Read More

May 7, 2025
Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles
A WOMAN OF PROFOUND STRENGTH

Not long ago, I had the family I longed for when I married my husband. When I found out I was not able to have children, I felt my world was shattered. I was wrong. I adopted a child who was five months old, and then another at three years old. I had my family and did everything families would do. Then, the unexpected happened and my world started to shatter. My husband got sick. With two children eight and under, I had to pull it together and find strength. I told my girls, “Daddy is sick and needs to have a kidney transplant. That is when they take an organ from one person and give it to Daddy. His are not working.” He survived the operation. That was the very first time I looked toward Jesus. About 20 years later, the unimaginable happened, something I would never wish upon anyone. My husband, after bouts of hospital stays, was told he had stage four pancreatic cancer, and had three months to live. Once he told his parents, his father went to bed, and passed away a week later. My husband made it through his celebration of life, but ended up in the hospital the next day. He went in thinking he would come home; we all did. But things changed. I had to call in our entire family and tell them it was time to say goodbye. He passed away eight days later. I lost it, I didn’t know how to go on. I knew I had my girls, but I was lost. I didn’t know how to navigate… Read More

April 30, 2025
Labor Loss Of Loved One Other Unique Ministries
WHAT ABOUT US

On February 25, 2021, my life changed forever. My oldest son was gunned down and killed. I remember going to the scene and seeing my son with his head lying back in the car. The first thing that came to my mind was, please let him be okay, but he wasn’t. He died at approximately 5:17 pm. I asked, “Where is my grandson?” At the time, he was only two years old and had been in the car with my son. The officer said, "He’s okay, but we don’t want him to see you like this.” Those images are still in my head to this day. For a while, I gave up on God. I didn’t know what He had in store for me. For months, I cried, asking why. I remember my grandmother used to say, “Don’t ask God why or question why,” but at that moment, I needed to question it. Three months after my son’s death, I heard his voice saying, “Momma, I am sorry.” During that whole year, my life was up and down. The day I found out about my son, I had fallen and fractured my hip. I was in so much grief that I went six months without realizing it. The pain in my body did not overwhelm the pain in my heart. On Mother’s Day 2021, I tried to take my life. I took a bunch of pills, and I went to sleep. During that time, I had a vision. My son came to me and said, “Mom, you've got to help the ones like you.” Instantly, I awoke from my sleep. I began throwing up and… Read More

April 23, 2025
Labor Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel
THE REFUGE COFFEE HOUSE

In the most unlikely time, 2020 during a global pandemic, God called us to open a coffee shop in Quincy, Michigan. Such irony for two faithful Maxwell-House-only coffee drinkers whose BFF is Betty Crocker. God showed us it would not just be a coffee shop, but a ministry He was calling us to pioneer. Our quaint town is a very rural community—not the most likely place for a business to flourish—but God! We believe obedience brings blessings, and have seen that truth repeated throughout our coffee journey. We purchased our building in August of 2020 and opened the next spring. We could spend hours sharing all the testimonies we have and the ways God met every need and calmed every anxiety with His peace in bringing Refuge Coffee House from heart to reality. He was in every detail, and brought the right people and resources to us at the exact moments we needed them. God’s timing is impeccable, and He really does supply all our needs according to His riches in glory! The term "Refuge" is found multiple times in Scripture. Our coffee shop is specifically named after Psalm 46:1, which says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." We offer a true place of "refuge" to all who come through our doors. Our heart is to be a safe place for people to experience the love and truth of Jesus. For some, that happens for the first time at Refuge. We pray with customers, share the Gospel, and give away Bibles. We host monthly worship and… Read More

April 16, 2025
Mentoring Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries
DEALING WITH LIFE’S ROUGH WATERS

For as long as I can remember, the ocean has been my refuge; I found solace watching the waves; they were my only escape from a tumultuous childhood. I was the eighth of nine children born into poverty in a beachside town in Costa Rica. My neighborhood was nicknamed “little hell.” My mother walked out on my family when I was four, dramatically changing the course of my life. I still vividly remember the moment she loaded her suitcase into a taxi and rode off, leaving me confused and crying in the dusty street. My father turned to alcohol to deal with the stress of trying to raise so many kids alone, but it became too much for him, and he also stepped out of my life. The parental responsibility then fell to my 15-year-old sister. When my sister could no longer care for me, through no fault of her own, I ended up on the street, subject to abuse and a myriad of unhealthy experiences. The thrill I felt in my first surfing experience at three-years-old, before my life turned upside down, filled my daydreams. That feeling of joy became the comfort I chased after. My passion for surfing eventually led me to compete at national and then international levels. But even then, the accolades and awards did nothing to numb the pain of abandonment. At 15 years old, I decided that ending my life might be the only real chance I had to escape from the pain. What followed can only be described as a divine encounter: a Christian Surfers leader named Alex found… Read More

April 9, 2025
Overcoming Obstacles
FULLY SURRENDERING

Growing up in a physically and mentally abusive home, I often asked myself, "What's wrong with me? Why was I born? How can I be better?" These questions lingered into adulthood. From a young age, I recognized that my mama was hurting from the abuse she endured. At nine, I learned that the man I thought was my father was actually my adoptive dad. I craved acceptance and sought love in all the wrong places, but I didn’t know how to love myself. At 21, I married the man I thought I would be with forever, hoping for a "normal" life and the family I dreamed of. Thankfully, I was blessed with two amazing children—Jase and Jayden. They became my saving grace. However, my relationship with their father was manipulative, and we divorced before Jase turned one. I then entered another relationship, hoping it would bring happiness, but it only led to more pain. I was the problem because I didn’t know who I was or how to love myself. This spiraled into self-medication and a destructive path. Eventually, my ex-husband and I reconciled, thinking it was where I was meant to be, but I continued to self-medicate and felt constantly inadequate. I thought having another child would heal everything, but I failed to realize how selfish it was to bring another life into that chaos. After two rehab stints, I reached a breaking point, holding a gun and contemplating ending it all. Then, I heard my children’s voices calling, “Mama!” In that moment, God snapped me back to reality and reminded me I… Read More

April 2, 2025

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 41

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 123

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 48

Unique Ministries 173

Verbalizing the Gospel 77

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