Stories - Page 27 of 81 - 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 Special Needs
A SIMPLE ACT OF KINDNESS

I never thought a simple act of kindness would have such an amazing impact. It really showed me how much God can use any situation or anybody for His glory. I’ve been a UPS driver in Vermont for 29 years, and really gotten to know a lot of the people on my route. Especially during the pandemic where we’ve been making so many more deliveries. I love my customers and try to show Jesus’ love to them any chance I get. That's what I did with Max. He’s a 14-year-old boy with autism who rarely speaks or smiles. I try to say hello and take a few minutes to talk to Max whenever I make a delivery to his mom, Wendy. So, Max and I started to develop a real bond. He’d get excited when I’d drop off a package. Max’s room is at the front of their house and so he can hear the truck coming up the road. His mom usually greets me at the door and Max is not too far behind. With Halloween approaching, Wendy shared with me how Max wanted to be a UPS driver. I was so touched when she said she’d try to make him a uniform like mine. For some time, I had been praying that the Lord use me as His loving instrument. And in my mind, that was treating everyone with a smile and compassion since we are all His children. When Wendy told me about Max’s UPS uniform, I could feel the Holy Spirit pushing me to do more for Max. So I thought… Read More

December 7, 2021
Children Loss Of Loved One Unique Ministries
CARRYING A BROKEN HEART

“I’m sorry, there is no heartbeat.” I remember that fateful moment like it was yesterday, but it was Father’s Day of 2018 when the doctor spoke those words. I was pregnant with our son, and it was his due date. Nothing could’ve prepared me for that life-changing moment. Three months before this event, I visualized Jesus was holding one of my hands, with His other hand over my heart. I had no idea the comfort God was preparing for me, until this moment where pain and supernatural peace would collide. The next day, I gave birth to our stillborn baby, Ethan. Back in 2016 and 2017, I had also suffered two miscarriages. At three months during my first pregnancy, they found no baby in the sac and I hemorrhaged. Six months later, I became pregnant again but at 10 weeks the doctors heard no heartbeat and I miscarried shortly after. I wasn’t miscarrying just my baby, I was miscarrying a broken heart. I was searching for support from other women who had gone through the same devastating experiences of baby loss. I heard God calling me to use my gifts, so I founded Spark Joy Ministries, a private, faith-based supportive community for those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. I wanted to create a safe place for others to discuss their feelings and begin the healing process. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort… Read More

November 30, 2021
Church Activities
TRULY MAKING SOMEONE’S DAY

The staff members at the church where I work often go to lunch together at a local restaurant. The wait staff has gotten to know us pretty well. One waiter in particular has stood out to me. Jim was one of those people who always had a smile on his face. He made you feel like an old friend he was happy to see. No matter what issues might arise, his demeanor never changed. He was pleasant and upbeat. So, when we came into the restaurant one Tuesday and he didn’t greet us with his usual smile, I knew something must be wrong. When I got a chance to take him aside out of earshot, I asked him what was wrong. Jim didn’t hesitate, “It’s been a really bad day for me,” he said. He went on to tell me the story of how his day had been filled with one frustration after another. It started just as he was heading out of his bedroom to go to work. His jacket caught the corner of the TV in the bedroom and sent it crashing to the floor. This led to being yelled at by his girlfriend for the damage he caused. This was just the beginning. As he approached his car he noticed he had a flat tire. This meant he had to stop and change the tire before he could drive to work. Once the tire was changed and he was ready to get in the car, he dropped his cell phone breaking the screen. All these things compounded together to… Read More

November 23, 2021
Children Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles
THE SOLO PARENT SOCIETY

I was devastated when my wife walked out on our marriage, leaving me on my own to raise our three young girls. It was, by far, the darkest season of my life. I found myself just trying to survive and keep things afloat. We had been married 13 years and our girls were 9, 7 and 4. You lose so much of your world when you go from being a couple to being on your own. God made us for community and our community had been ripped apart. Now I found myself flying solo. I turned to my church for help. Surprisingly, I found very few Christian resources available to address the loneliness and struggle that single parents face. I decided to start something within my church to help single parents. Without even a mention from the pulpit, I was amazed to see 50 people at our first meeting. It showed there’s a strong need for single parents to connect. One of the biggest things for a suddenly single person is to know they’re not alone. I learned that single parent homes account for 34% of the nation’s households raising children. Census studies show 63% of youth suicides, 75% of chemically dependent kids, and 85% of incarcerated minors come from single parent homes. I felt led to write a book, published by Focus on the Family, called Going Solo - Hope and Healing for the Single Mom and Dad, and started a non-profit called Solo Parent Society. We do not want single parents to feel alone. It’s critical to keep the family grounded and focused on… Read More

November 16, 2021
Mission Work
MISSION WORK IN A FARAWAY LAND

Sometimes I’m amazed I ended up as a missionary with a wife and three kids in Southeast Asia. But we both felt a calling to bring the Gospel to some remote places of the world. I was raised in a Christian home and my family had some financial hardships. So my goal was to make as much money as possible and gain financial security. I worked hard in high school to earn a scholarship and wound up at Vanderbilt, majoring in economics and engineering. While at Vandy, I felt my first big nudge from the Lord. I worked with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), a ministry on 148 different campuses that reaches students for Christ and equips them to serve. I loved it and after graduation, I did an internship with RUF at Furman University. After meeting and marrying my wife, we ended up in Charlotte with me enrolling at the Reformed Theological Seminary. I took part in some lunches where students eat pizza and hear about life in the mission field from visiting missionaries. This fascinated me, and so my wife and I attended a Global Missions Conference where students are exposed to different missionary opportunities. We both felt a strong calling to serve as missionaries in Southeast Asia. It's one thing to go to a different part of the world when you’re on your own. But when you have a wife and a 10-month-old daughter, it’s a different game. Some friends thought we’d be overwhelmed to head to the other side of the world with a young family. But we both strongly… Read More

November 9, 2021
Children Hospital Senior Citizens
MAKING HATS FOR NEWBORNS

I may be 90 years old but I can still serve the Lord. So I’ve been making hats for newborn babies for 15 years. I’ve made over 11,000, and hope to continue making them until I’m 100! Jesus told us that we are to love and help one another, and this is one thing I can do at my age to demonstrate that love. I think they look cute on the babies but they also serve an important medical purpose: the hats help stabilize a baby’s body temperature and keep the child warm as they adapt to life outside the womb. This started for me back in 2006. My ladies group at church would stay after our meetings and take on a small project. One time, a nurse from the local hospital, UPMC Western Maryland, came and showed our group how to make an infant’s hat that looks like a toboggan. Our group did this a couple times, but I liked it and thought it was something I could keep doing at home. So, I did! It takes me about 10 or 15 minutes to make one hat and I do about 10 in an evening. I have a roll of white stockinette fabric and I cut them into strips the size of a cereal box top. I fold them into a dome shape without seams because those might hurt the infant’s delicate skin; then I turn up the bottom and tie a blue or a pink ribbon on top. Someone from the hospital now drops off the fabric to me each month… Read More

November 2, 2021

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 59

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 38

Loving Your Neighbor 66

Mission Work 51

Overcoming Obstacles 111

Prison Ministry 11

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 160

Verbalizing the Gospel 73

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