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?
  • Adoption/Foster Care Special Needs

    ADOPTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

    I was a single mother of two when I answered God’s clear call to adopt and foster children with Down syndrome and other life-threatening medical conditions. It has been quite a wild and demanding ride but it has brought me so much closer to the Lord, and, in looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. How I got to this point requires some explanation: I got divorced when I was pregnant with my second child. It was right around the holidays, and I was devastated. I cried out to God that this was not how I ever imagined my life when God spoke to my heart and told me to trust Him, that He made me to be a mom and that had not changed. I also knew in that moment that someday I would adopt a child. About six years later, I was volunteering with a nonprofit that advocated for the adoption of kids with various special and medical needs when the Lord spoke to my heart that is was time to pursue adoption. He had opened my eyes to the fact that many children, both here in the United States and worldwide, are abandoned due to the fact that they are simply not considered a “healthy child”. That was when God made it clear that He wanted me to foster, and maybe adopt, a child with Down syndrome. So I faithfully started to follow the Lord in this prompting to pursue a child with Down syndrome. I originally thought this would happen through international adoption and that I would seek an… Read More

    June 22, 2022
  • Labor Overcoming Obstacles

    INSPIRING BLOOMS

    I was serving at an orphanage in El Salvador when my life started unraveling. Hearing the stories of trauma triggered my own childhood wounds and memories. I was able to hold it together until my term finished, but back in the United States, I had a complete breakdown. I became deeply depressed and developed out of control OCD. For several years I only tried to deal with my anxiety and depression spiritually—pray more, read the Word more. I didn’t start improving until I was finally willing to look at the physiological aspects. I started going to extensive therapy and taking medicine. It’s been a five-year journey, and I still have the occasional day where I struggle, but I’m thankful to be 90 percent better. As a child, I had a great interest in flowers and plants. I loved beauty. I followed my great aunt around her little greenhouse and was always picking bouquets for my mom. That interest got buried as I grew older. Then in El Salvador, I worked on some agricultural projects, and the interest revived. Back in the States, I returned to my old job, but in a new role that wasn’t a good fit. It didn’t feel fulfilling. I prayed, “God, give me something meaningful.” I started building a small greenhouse as a side hobby. Then my cousin gave me books about flower farming, which I devoured. For the first time, I realized that I could raise flowers for a living. I began dreaming and making plans. In 2021, I started Inspiring Blooms, planting a half-acre in flowers. This year,… Read More

    June 15, 2022
  • Labor Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries

    REPAIRING CARS, ALTERING LIVES

    I take donated, broken-down cars, fix them up and then give them to low-income families in rural South Carolina that are in desperate need of transportation. It can totally transform that person's life. It is an absolute blessing to do this and I can see the Lord’s hand in how all this got started. I love to barbecue, especially ribs made from my great grandmother’s recipe that has been passed down in my family since 1898. My friends love them, and they convinced me to enter a rib cooking competition in September 2019. I’d never done anything like that but I entered. To my amazement, I won and got $1,000 in prize money! The cook off took place in Andrews, South Carolina, a fairly poor, rural area of the state. I could tell there were some real needs there and I felt led to do something for them. So I took half my prize money and used that as seed money for a Thanksgiving food drive for the people in that area. Folks heard what I was doing and helped by donating money and items. I put together 217 boxes for families consisting of a turkey or ham, candied yams, rice and mac and cheese. After we got done distributing the boxes, there were still all sorts of families in the back of the line that didn’t get any food. And I noticed they were walking home. There was no public transportation, no Uber, no way to get anywhere unless they walked. Many of them had walked five miles to get in… Read More

    June 8, 2022
  • Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries

    SANCTUARY IN TRAUMA

    My world blew up nine years ago because a loved one’s secret sin, when exposed, led to his imprisonment. I was suddenly left to provide for and protect my four children. The challenge was enormous as a stay-at-home who had been in ministry for 20-plus years. I lacked emotional, physical, and spiritual strength as a broken person searching for dignity and solutions in the midst of devastation. While the Lord had been my rock and salvation since childhood, I was shaken to my core. Christian friends and family carried me through the darkest of days, as well as a complete stranger who reached out after having endured trauma. God placed believers in my life who challenged me to seek and know truth. I claimed Psalm 16:8, vowing I would not turn from my Heavenly Father. And yet, I wondered why my story had been radically rewritten. How could God destroy every aspect of my life that had given me purpose and joy? The answer became clear as I shared with others how my difficult journey would be worthwhile if God could use it for His glory. That longing evolved into a calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus for those enduring life-altering crises. I partnered with that “stranger” who became my close friend to begin SiT: Sanctuary in Trauma nearly two years ago. SiT retreats provide a quiet place to help women process their pain, to rest, be encouraged, gain tools to go forward, and most importantly realize that God is trustworthy despite our circumstances. SiT sessions and mentoring reinforce… Read More

    June 1, 2022
  • Children Overcoming Obstacles

    CUDDLES FOR CLEFTS

    When I was pregnant with my second child, I went in for a routine doctor’s appointment at 19 weeks. I was stunned when the doctor came back and told me our son would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. I instantly became a pool of tears. The doctor really didn’t know how to handle such a diagnosis. He told me to pick a strong name for my son and then hurried me out the door. Our family was shocked. I felt alone and desperate. I could only focus on the television images I’d seen where they’re asking for support for children overseas who needed surgery. A turning point for me was when I connected with a mom who had a cleft-affected daughter. She opened my eyes to the incredible cleft community. How they support one another. In fact, a member of that community sent us a care package when our son went in for his first surgery when he was four months old. And that’s when the idea for my ministry began. Cuddles For Clefts is a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide comfort and support as you or someone you love goes through a cleft-related operation. We want to come alongside you to show that you are not alone in your journey. We do this by providing a care package, called a Cuddle Pack, that is sent to the individual undergoing surgery. Each Cuddle Pack includes four items: a t-shirt or onesie which says, “Every Smile Has a Story”, a teddy bear with a scar… Read More

    May 25, 2022
  • Adoption/Foster Care Children

    ASSISTING FOSTER FAMILIES

    I understand how important a loving, stable environment is to the well-being of a child. I grew up with parents who were continually trying to figure out their marriage and careers. Because of that, I was often left alone. Except during summer! The excitement and anticipation grew throughout the end of the school year, knowing that I would soon board the plane that connected me to my grandmother’s world; a world of consistency, encouragement, and fun! As I grew older each year, the excitement of those months never diminished. I still cannot wait for the time to come to visit Grammy with my husband and two teenage children every year. In the chaos of my childhood, my grandmother laid a solid foundation for much of who I am today. As a mother, it is a joy to see my own children growing up with an environment that allows each of them to safely and successfully grow into adulthood. As an individual who has overcome an unstable childhood, I have always desired to provide for children with similar situations as my own through fostering. Because of certain circumstances, my family and I are not able to provide this ministry in our own home. God has led us to a church that sees fostering and adopting children as important. I have several friends who do just that. After obtaining my certification to babysit children placed in foster care, I am able to love on and help care for the children my friends and church family are providing a more stable environment to. I run errands,… Read More

    May 18, 2022

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38
Children 158
Church Activities 60
Financial Help 18
Food 41
Homeless 34
Hospital 44
Labor 167
Loss Of Loved One 38
Loving Your Neighbor 67
Mentoring 49
Mission Work 52
Other 12
Overcoming Obstacles 116
Prayer 57
Prison Ministry 12
Recovery 46
Senior Citizens 22
Special Needs 47
Unique Ministries 166
Verbalizing the Gospel 76
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