Stories - Page 20 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?

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
Labor Loving Your Neighbor
WHEN DISASTER STRIKES

When natural disaster inevitably strikes, my job takes me into the chaos and destruction that most people choose to evacuate and avoid. I’ve been working for a federal disaster relief agency for six years now and the crushing reality of disaster still devastates me. Somedays, I wonder why God called me into a job that’s physically, emotionally, and spiritually so hard and heavy. I live in hotels for months at a time, which keeps me away from my family for most of the year. I stay prepared to go wherever disaster strikes with little to no warning in advance. I work with complex logistics in high stakes, timely situations. Making a mistake is not an option, as lives depend on the work I do. I serve people who are suffering, grieving what’s been lost, and facing the future without hope. In those moments I ask God, “why?,” He reminds me of Jesus’ command in Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Following Jesus’ example encourages and challenges me on the hard days. Jesus pursued the people that most avoided, like the demon-possessed man in Mark 5, and the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8. Jesus traveled from city to village, leaving His family and hometown, to love, serve, teach, and heal. He was the ultimate disaster relief plan, through His death on the Cross that defeated the grave, and His resurrection three days later that offered salvation to all who believe. From an… Read More

July 26, 2023
Labor Mission Work Verbalizing the Gospel
A NOMAD FOR THE GOSPEL

My childhood was far from normal and tainted with abuse, poverty, and dysfunction. Having never known a father’s love, I gave my heart away to the first boy who treated me nicely. As a result, I got pregnant at sixteen. The relationship became toxic, so after splitting up, I went back to school and started working. I graduated high school and a few years later, I graduated from Nursing School. Working and studying gave me a sense of pride. I had a business, my degree, money, my son, and a new boyfriend, I had everything. And yet, I lived with an annoying emptiness that would not go away. One day, a woman walked into my business and invited me to her small group. I had no idea what that was but agreed to go because I was desperate for more than all I’d known. That first night is all it took. Jesus took hold of my heart and filled me with the peace I had been longing for. I began my walk with the Lord and one day, He asked me to leave it all behind to serve Him. Much like Abraham, I obeyed without really knowing where to go, but I had peace and a purpose. For the last eight years, I have been a nomad for the Gospel in my city of Bogota, Columbia. God has always provided a bed to sleep in and food to eat. I am always ready to share the love of Jesus with others. We only have… Read More

July 19, 2023
Children Hospital Loss Of Loved One
Jessie’s JoyJars

Our daughter, Jessica Joy Rees, was 11 when doctors discovered she had an inoperable and incurable brain tumor. They told us we would have 12-18 months with her. We were all devastated. We entered her into a very difficult clinical trial where she was subjected to 30 rounds of radiation and a daily dose of chemotherapy. Despite this grueling regimen, Jessie maintained an incredibly positive attitude. After her treatment one day, we were driving away from Children’s Hospital Orange County and she asked about all the sick children in the hospital that didn’t get to go home each day like she did. And then she asked something that would change our lives forever: “How can we help them?” My wife and I didn’t really give her a good answer to her question since we were so focused on helping her through this battle. But later that day, we found Jessie in the kitchen with five paper bags. She was decorating them with stickers and positive messages, and filling them with toys, colored markers and her beanie babies. She asked if she could give them out to kids like her who were going through cancer treatments, but were unable to leave the hospital. During our next visit, I talked with members of her care team and they gave her the approval, as long as the items were new, age appropriate, and were not sharp or edible. They also asked that we replace the paper bags with something else. Over the weekend, Jessie asked about using a “jar” to put her toys in. We loved… Read More

July 12, 2023

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 135

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 23

Special Needs 49

Unique Ministries 176

Verbalizing the Gospel 80

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