Stories - Page 22 of 82 - 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 Loving Your Neighbor Verbalizing the Gospel
CROSSES IN MY POCKET

For more than 10 years, I have enjoyed making small wooden crosses and giving them away to random people. We all run into people from time to time that seem distressed, troubled or overwhelmed. I try to find a way to give them a cross. As I offer the crosses, I usually say, “The cross reminds me that God is good.” I seek opportunities to give them away as often as possible. I hand them to anybody I run into during the course of the day. It might be my waiter at the restaurant or the receptionist at the doctor’s office. I carry five or six of them in my pocket, just looking for a chance to give them out. When those are given away, I replenish from a supply I keep in my car. I would estimate that I’ve given away several thousand crosses to people. It’s a simple act, and I don’t ever have any expectation for a particular result. As a retired chaplain, I just give the cross and let the recipient decide its value to them. But the responses I receive have been incredible and so heartwarming. I have seen people break down and cry upon receiving one. I’ve heard countless people say, “this is just what I needed today.” These responses give me a sense of joy and motivate me to expand my efforts. I use a wide variety of wood and I get the wood from all over. I have picked up limbs and scraps that people put out on the street to be collected. I have… Read More

August 24, 2022
Adoption/Foster Care Children Unique Ministries
STAND UP GIRL

When a young single girl gets a positive pregnancy test, she is scared and confused. A lot of times, she doesn’t know what to do with the baby or where to turn, and usually ends up frantically searching for information on the Internet. And that is the reason StandUpGirl.com was created. Our online Christian ministry is a virtual pregnancy resource center that is available to these girls anytime and anywhere in the world. StandUpGirl.com helps these girls find life-affirming information that we hope helps them to choose life for their baby. On the website and social media, she'll find thousands of personal stories from girls who have had an unplanned pregnancy and were right where she is at, in the midst of a confusing time. We have resources to answer any kind of question they may have, such as what are the symptoms of pregnancy, when would my baby be due, what is going on inside my body, how do I tell my parents. We connect women anywhere in the world with one of our over 2,200 faith-based pregnancy centers in their neighborhood, where they can get an ultrasound and see that they have a human life growing inside of them. They can then have a confidential face-to-face talk with loving staff members at the center. We also have a list of maternity homes where women can live up to a year after their child is born, and even be provided with life skills, parenting classes and a job. It's a difficult, turbulent time for any woman going through this. Our staff comes… Read More

August 17, 2022
Labor Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries
GEEZER MOWING

Geezer Mowing is a group of old guys who cut grass for free for people in our community going through a difficult time. It began several years ago when our friend's daughter went to Duke University for a double lung transplant. Both parents stayed with her for months, so a couple of us started cutting their grass on the weekends. We didn’t tell anybody but someone saw us mowing and mentioned it to one of our church's pastors. He worked with the senior adults, and would hear of older people that had become ill and unable to take care of their yard. So he started calling us when someone was going through a major illness or had lost a mate, to see if we could help them for a period of time. And that's how we began. We’re all retirement-age guys but God has blessed us with good health so far, and we want to help others as long as we physically can. At our age, we see how important it is to serve others, so it's a joy to do this. We’ve now grown to a group of four guys, and just for fun, we bought t-shirts with our Geezer Mowing logo and our slogan, “We are experienced in lawn enforcement.” We usually do a yard or two on Saturday mornings, then sit around and chat with the people. It is amazing to see how God can work even in cutting a yard. We got particularly close to Greg. He was a veteran and had suffered a series of illnesses including… Read More

August 10, 2022
Labor Mission Work Unique Ministries
SAFE WATER AFRICA

Access to safe, clean drinking water is one of the world’s most serious humanitarian problems. Worldwide, unsafe water and lack of sanitation kill over 30,000 people each month, with children affected the most. Safe water can transform an entire community suffering from waterborne sickness and disease to a much healthier one where people can focus on education, opportunity and faith. Several of us took a mission trip to Tanzania and saw first-hand the critical need for safe clean water. As a result, we launched a nonprofit called Safe Water Africa eight years ago to address this need. Our basic mission is to empower and assist local pastors to preach the Gospel in rural areas of Tanzania. We do this by providing the local pastor and church with a safe water facility (storage tanks and chlorinator) on church grounds. We place these water systems in rural areas of Tanzania where the clean water needs are so great, and poverty is rampant. The system provides safe, purified water for the church and villagers in the surrounding area. When people from these nearby villages come to the church to get clean water, a relationship with the pastor is started. Eventually, the pastor can share the Living Water and the Gospel with these villagers. The water meets that critical humanitarian need but also becomes an outreach tool for sharing Christ. We try to first meet the need for water so they will be receptive to the Gospel message. The water system we provide is actually quite simple. It's a chlorination system where the chlorine cleans the water by… Read More

August 3, 2022
Unique Ministries
HELPING COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

I am consistently amazed by the ways God works to extend His mercy and grace when we as Christians stay open to His leading. In my life, a change in plans for a business venture thwarted sex trafficking in my community and resulted in a local refuge for women escaping such trauma. Neither outcome was envisioned when I and a Christian brother partnered in a rental real estate business with the goal of giving to Kingdom work from the profits. I run a structural metal manufacturing company and I have a heart for missions, so I was excited by the opportunity. We began by acquiring office space and a home in great need of remodeling. Before a plan for the properties was developed, we learned that Catalyst Ministries needed space in our community to continue combating human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and extreme abuse. Catalyst raises awareness of growing criminal networks and advocates for vulnerable individuals trapped in such hopeless situations. The ministry partners with churches, organizations, and law enforcement to rescue oppressed women. Restoration is the third goal and is accomplished by caring for the victims in a safe haven at no cost for up to two years. Beyond meeting their physical needs, Catalyst provides Christ-centered services that empower the women to begin a new life as they learn about their Heavenly Father. The home we selected, now Catalyst Farms, is a respite for broken women who for so long lived in fear for themselves and their families. The office we acquired became the headquarters for the ministry, which has since… Read More

July 27, 2022
Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries
TRYING TO ERADICATE POVERTY

I grew up with a single mother and four siblings. Hardship was no stranger. Sometimes, we had no place to call home, and as a kid, I thought my circumstances meant I should dream small. God gracefully proved me wrong. In 2010, He gave me an ambition that destroyed the box I once dreamed in: a dream to eradicate poverty through community outreach and free acts of service. God showed me what once disqualified me in some places now qualifies me in others. He brought me out of poverty so I could tell others, “You can make it.” In 2012, I put my dream on a vision board, then spent the next few years in pastoral roles. By 2019, my desire for outreach was too strong to ignore. I stepped out in faith and started the East Valley Dream Center alongside my brother. We started by handing out sandwiches at parks known for homelessness, but learned that if we truly wanted to help people, we had to build relationships with them. Instead of handing out sandwiches, we started grilling and watching movies in the park, attracting families living the life my brother and I once did. Still, God was calling me deeper. I decided we’d set up near an apartment complex filled with families in need. Soon after, I learned it was project housing; we partnered with the city and began serving all their sites. Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped everything, including our momentum. To show families that we still cared, we would fill a bag with household items from the Dollar Tree and leave it… Read More

July 20, 2022

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 38

Loving Your Neighbor 66

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 115

Prison Ministry 11

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 165

Verbalizing the Gospel 74

Submit a Story

Listen To Our Podcast

Support The Christian Heart

Sign Up For Our Inspiring Newsletter