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 Unique Ministries

    HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE THAT SERVE

    I started Support Someone Saturday last year to highlight the great things people are doing to serve others during the pandemic. I had an idea about doing a video interview series back in February. Then in April, I went through some major dental issues. I was in significant pain with an ice pack on my face for about ten days. I had eight dentist appointments over two months. During that painful time, I would pray while icing my face. It was then that God really impressed upon me to start the Support Someone Saturday interview series. My goal is to get the word out about all the positive things people are doing through charities, foundations, ministries and nonprofits to help those in need, especially during the pandemic. Support Someone Saturdays is an interview that lasts about 30 minutes. I have talked to founders, directors and leaders of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Administer Justice, Team World Vision and more. The purpose is to inform the viewers about the founding of the organization, the mission and what they are doing to help those in need. Those I interview usually share some real-life stories of people that have been helped. They also share ways that people can get on board, donate, or volunteer. They talk about how the pandemic has affected their organization. I hope to interview more organizations not only in Illinois but around the United States. I want to inspire Christians and others that watch the interviews to start giving back, to do more to tangibly step out and meet the needs of… Read More

  • Children Labor Mission Work

    SHE BECAME AN URBAN MISSIONARY

    Even amidst a global pandemic, the Lord’s work is still being done. I serve with Urban Impact Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This incredible ministry does holistic community outreach through programs in athletics, education, and arts, focusing on building relationships and discipling students. After working as a camp counselor in the program’s education department, I fell in love with the students and the deep relationships I cultivated with them. So I decided to go on staff as a full-time urban missionary! I get to pray with families, coach graduating high schoolers about their next steps, and give out meals to those in need. Covid does not have to deter us from sharing Jesus with others or seeking out ministry opportunities. I assist students with their online classes through the learning lab education program. I even get to share the Gospel with them during lunch or recess breaks! Urban Impact also leads small socially-distanced Bible studies. Technology has thankfully come a long way, and I am in the process of setting up a Bible study group to lead virtually with the fourth and fifth grade girls that I disciple. It’s amazing to pour into youth who are hungry to dive deeper into their faith. Combining my background in social work with a passion for my city fulfills my call to minister to kids, especially during this hard time in history. There is such a great need in my city of Pittsburgh, and so I enjoy being able to help and give back! In an urban city filled with gun violence, poverty, death,… Read More

  • Food Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries

    COOKIES FOR CAREGIVERS

    It's amazing to see the way God uses everyday people to carry out His will. Who would've thought something as simple as cookies would be the vessel that He would use with us. We have been friends for 15 years and, like everyone, were quarantined at home with our families for a couple months. We decided to learn some new things during that time. It turns out we both took on making homemade cookies. A competitive spirit entered into our discussion, and we challenged each other to a bake off. We decided to let our mayor and the frontline workers at our local hospital be the judges. So we delivered our cookies, and we instantly saw the joy it brought these frontline workers. We decided to make more cookies and give them to workers at other hospitals, grocery stores, fire departments and police precincts. And we couldn't believe the reaction. Friends wanted to help and they started making cookies for us to deliver. We were overrun with cookies! Each cookie results in multiple smiles: to the people receiving the cookies, the people making them and even those delivering them. After all, when you try to bless others, it’s usually you that receives the bigger blessing. This idea became a way for parents to do something wonderful with their kids and teach them the value of giving. We are all a bit dinged up during this pandemic and looking for a way to reach out to show some love. We found it with these cookies. We are trying to live out the Christian principles… Read More

  • Children Homeless Labor Unique Ministries

    DREAM CATCHERS ACADEMY

    There are thousands of kids here in Nigeria that don't know where their next meal is coming from or where they'll be sleeping tonight. I should know. I was one of them. I lived on the streets for four years when I was young. I passed the time and took my mind off my situation by teaching myself to dance. Something wonderful happens when you are dancing---you let yourself go and you become totally free. But there were so many days that were very difficult. I knew at a young age that God had a purpose for my life and I just had to stay strong while His plan for me unfolded. I survived being homeless, and as a 14-year-old, I felt God was calling me to help those young homeless children make a better future for themselves. I knew what these kids were going through and that's why I started the Dream Catchers Academy as a teenager. We all need hope. For the past 18 years, Dream Catchers Academy for Girls has used dance, drama and music as a tool to encourage underprivileged or destitute girls to stay in school and pursue their dreams. This is a way for them to build confidence and it's a way for me to share my Christian faith. This is all free to these girls since they can't afford to pay for anything. And if they are homeless, they can even come live here and I'll provide shelter and all the basic necessities of life. Currently, I have 20 girls in the… Read More

  • Labor Mentoring Unique Ministries

    USING MY PLATFORM TO HELP OTHERS

    When I was a freshman at college, I lost both my parents to prescription drug overdoses. Within hours of each other. They were wonderful loving parents but like so many people, they were hooked on pain medications first prescribed after medical operations. My mom died after ingesting fentanyl from her pain patch. My dad called with the news and told me to immediately hop on a plane to come home. While I was flying, he also ingested a lethal dose of fentanyl from his pain patch. It was surreal and I didn’t allow myself to believe this really happened. When asked, I lied about how my parents passed away, saying my mom died of respiratory failure and my dad’s heart failed. When the autopsy report came back, I refused to open it. I was ashamed and felt I would be judged. I was angry, and felt betrayed by both my parents and God. How could He allow this to happen? It’s crazy how you can find ways to avoid the truth. I was on the college gymnastics team and I poured myself into the sport. Athletes are wired to be tough and I thought I could get through this on my own. After graduation, I became a sports broadcaster and found myself telling the intimate stories of the athletes on the field. Yet, I realized I had never dealt with the truth in my own life. And so, I confronted it. Seven years after their passing, I started opening up to the truth of what happened to my parents, and eventually, I opened that… Read More

  • Loss Of Loved One Other

    IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

    "It Is Well With My Soul" is my favorite hymn. I’ve always loved it, but it also seems to describe my walk with the Lord in some ways. I’m in my mid-60s now, and I’ve had the gift of knowing the Lord for over 50 years. It’s a journey unlike any other---one that I’d never want to travel without Him. I left home at 17 to be closer to my wife-to-be. I finished high school in a new town and bought a little trailer where I made my home. Shortly thereafter, a tornado hit my trailer and destroyed it. We married when I was 19. We met during Sunday School. I knew I’d marry her the moment I saw her. We had two children. Then I lost my oldest brother when he was 47. Fourteen months later, I lost my wife of 24 years after a 10-year battle with cancer. God was the Great Physician and had healed her from incurable cancer, but she became ill afterward and passed away. I was devastated. How would I live without her? I truly didn’t think I could. But I felt God’s presence all around me. Over the next 15 years, I became “Granpa” to eight grandchildren. But then I lost my mother, and in 2015, I lost my daddy. I sure am blessed to have had so many wonderful people in my life, and God’s gentle voice reminds me of this as He has always been my comforter and my healer. I remarried, and the same year I lost my father, we… Read More

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