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

    GOD SAVED ME FROM DESTRUCTION

    My biological dad suffered from severe alcoholism. He was decapitated by an Amtrak train when I was 11 years old. I grew up with a verbally, physically and mentally abusive stepdad. My family struggled with poverty, food insecurity and shelter. I was sexually molested and raped by multiple perpetrators for several years beginning when I was only 4. At 19, I was raped and left in a field. By age 21, I was married and pregnant. I suffered from anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. At 24, I learned the baby boy I was carrying had died. I carried my dead son in my womb for nine days. I spent time in mental hospitals. I went to therapy. I was prescribed the anxiety medication Xanax, then later Klonopin. I abused alcohol, nicotine, pills and marijuana throughout my life. I was divorced multiple times. A back injury spiraled me into a narcotics addiction that led to a methamphetamine addiction. I was a junkie. I prostituted for drugs. At age 44, I was being evicted from my apartment. I had no phone, no car, and no friends. My family had stopped speaking to me. I was lost and broken. I fell through the floor of rock bottom and knocked on the gates of hell. I had nothing to live for. I decided to commit suicide, but God intervened. I went from belief in Jesus to surrender to Christ, born again, and dying unto myself. Jesus miraculously and instantly healed me from depression, addiction, and suicidal ideation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all… Read More

    December 25, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    FOLLOWING GOD’S NUDGES

    I learned at an early age I needed to listen to God and not ignore His nudges. So when my dear friend, Joanna, desperately needed a live liver donor in order to save her life, I felt God’s nudge. And I knew I had been called to donate part of my liver to her. Joanna and I became friends about 15 years ago. We worked together in the preschool department at our church in Birmingham, and saw that we had very similar passions. We started to do a lot of life together and became very close friends. When I first met Joanna, I heard she had a liver disease. And the closer we got, I learned that her disease would eventually progress to the point where she would likely need a liver transplant. That point came at the beginning of 2023. Joanna’s condition worsened and doctors determined that she would need a liver transplant in order to live. And here is where God first showed His providence. It's no coincidence that about a decade earlier, God put a certain couple in our small group. Chris, the husband, was in Medical School at UAB. He would eventually do his residency at the Mayo Clinic, and then become one of the country’s leading doctors specializing in liver transplants for cancer patients at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Johns Hopkins is also one of the few hospitals in the world that did a live donor liver transplant, where a healthy person can donate a portion of their liver to someone in desperate need. I learned that the liver was one… Read More

    December 18, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    HEALED FROM A PAINFUL DIVORCE

    During my season of greatest brokenness following a devastating divorce, I put up so many walls as my own personal protective mechanism. I experienced rejection and abuse coupled with the exposure of my ex’s unfaithfulness. So much trust had been broken that I didn’t ever think I could let anyone get close to me again. I remember countless nights of crying myself to sleep, wishing the pain would dissipate. I remember feeling numb inside, forgetting what it’s like to simply feel anything at all. I remember wanting to learn to live again, but being unsure how to get from where I was to where I desired to be. I desired to be healed and whole again. I would sit with the Lord for hours in worship and saturate myself in His Word. During a time when I was unable to let anyone else in, He broke through the iron-clad walls erected around my heart and loved me in a way that I had never known before. Isaiah 61 tells us that one of the many reasons Jesus came was to ‘heal the brokenhearted’. As I have journeyed through life after divorce, He has proven His love to me and healed me in such a way that when I share my story, I sometimes feel like I’m talking about someone else. Not only did the Lord heal my broken heart, He restored my hope and led me to begin praying for my future husband long before I met him. During my eight years of singleness, I would pray faithfully. I would write him letters via email… Read More

    December 11, 2024
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    FINDING GOD IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

    At a very young age, my brother was very physically abusive to me to show off in front of his friends. My entire household was full of pride and ego. Nobody could ever admit they were wrong; there were always issues. There was never a family dinner without fighting, screaming and somebody walking out of the house! I had at least 23 suicide attempts starting at the age of 11. The abuse was so great at my house that I was ordered to move out to avoid my brother being taken into juvenile detention. I truly cried out to God! I said, “If You’re real, I need You to come and save my life or I’m going to kill myself,” and I attempted to shoot up a gram of methamphetamines (which would kill you). The following day, I ended up being arrested. In jail, I was moved from every block for fighting and for my attitude. I ended up in solitary confinement, which is where I truly found God. I remember crying to God and saying, “Please Lord, don’t leave me behind. I’ll do anything You ask me to do. Anything! Just don’t leave me behind.” I heard His voice telling me to get down low. I went straight to the floor, crying, finally ready to submit everything and give up my own understanding. He said to draw a line. I opened my eyes and there was a piece of pencil lead right in front of my eyes. I drew a line across the floor. I heard Him say to get up and step over it, so I… Read More

    December 4, 2024
  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Special Needs

    MY SHATTERED NFL DREAMS

    My name is Kareem McNeal, and I was once in a situation where it looked like I would have a promising career with the NFL. A sudden accident changed everything, in an instant. I could easily have blamed God for losing my opportunity, but I did not. My faith was stronger than what happened, and I continued to trust in God.  I am from Tuskegee and went to high school in Montgomery at Alabama Christian Academy. Originally, I did not have a desire to play football, but the football coach asked me to try out for the team. It seemed by accident that I got my start with football. It was hard at first and I wanted to quit, but I did not want to disappoint the head coach. As an overweight and out of shape ninth grader, I did not feel as if I could contribute anything. Over time, I got taller, lost weight, and started to get better at the sport. By the end of tenth grade, things began to click for me.  I found it fun to play football because I got to run people over. That was my goal every game, and I was good at it. During my junior year, the coach said I could go to college and play for any school I wanted. After that conversation, I began to receive recruiting and calls from all over the country. During that process, I improved and advanced even more. I received awards and got player of the year for the state… Read More

    November 26, 2024
  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles

    LEAVING A LIFE OF WITCHCRAFT

    After his suicide, I was left to be a single mom. I was broken down and confused. Things only became worse after my daughter's funeral, just 18 short months later. The pain of life became too much to bear so I put my focus on creating my own fate through witchcraft. My obsession of the occult became consuming while I raised my two sons. I would’ve never seen going to jail and becoming a felon something of God's grace, but it truly saved my life, and now I know, my soul. I didn’t find God sitting in the pew of a church, but rather a jail cell at 6:00 am on a random Wednesday. My sentencing was for eight years in prison. I had no crystals, spells or candles to help me. However, a sweet lady prayed for me. I held onto that prayer and found hope in the concept of God, but still did not fully understand why I felt the way I did. When I was released and waiting on final sentencing, I went straight for my tarot cards. However, the moment I touched them, I knew that the life I had been living was behind me. I was immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit. I prayed instead. It’s been over a year since that happened. I never again touched the tarot cards, which were a daily ritual for me for many years. I pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison, but it was probated. I praised God right there in the court room. My mornings no longer look sad and hopeless, dying for answers of… Read More

    November 20, 2024

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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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