Stories - Page 41 of 83 - 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?

Adoption/Foster Care Children Special Needs Unique Ministries
INTO HIS ARMS

‘There’s a 10-day old baby girl and she has a disease,’ I was told. ‘I’ll take her,’ I said without hesitation. Just hours later, the social worker was at our door in Guatemala, holding a bundle wrapped in a blanket. She explained the baby was abandoned due to her diagnosis. She was left with nothing, not even a name. And this baby girl wasn’t expected to live very long because she had Hydranencephaly. She only had about 3% of her brain and an enlarged head due to an abnormal accumulation of fluid in her brain. The days that followed were filled with MRI’s and hospital visits. Then, I stood as a 19-year-old before the judge, asking if I could adopt her and give her a name. ‘Her own family didn’t even want her,’ the judge told me solemnly, ‘She’s probably not going to live, and if she does, she won't have a normal life. Why would you even bother?’ I told her I cared because her life matters, and the value of our life isn’t decided by the number of our days. I named her Emma Leigh---Emma means ‘whole and complete’ and Leigh, (my middle name I share with my mom) means ‘healer.’ There were surgeries, court hearings, lost paperwork, and so many medical appointments. But these were never a burden. I just wanted her to be loved here on earth. Just 31 days old, Emma Leigh passed from my arms into the arms of Jesus. She was born into a completely hopeless situation, but she died being loved. Most children in Guatemala like Emma Leigh… Read More

August 3, 2020
Children Hospital Prayer
GOD CARRIED ME THROUGH

I went into marriage expecting I would need a lot of medical intervention in order to have children. I had been told my chances were slim. Five months into my marriage, I began thinking about my options, but before I could start, we found out I was pregnant! Throughout the pregnancy, I had a feeling of gloom and doom because I kept seeing warning signs that something wasn’t right. At 25 weeks, my water broke. I was in shock and thought, “my pregnancy is over” because I didn’t think a baby could survive that early. Days later, my son was born. He fought and battled, and I found myself in a place of hopelessness, wondering every day if my son would live to see tomorrow. I could truly feel that we had literally hundreds of people all around the U.S and even around the world praying for us during this time. I found myself spinning with God and had to really rely on the prayers and faith of others. We were told if our son made it through, he would go home with a trach tube. 110 days later, we walked out of the hospital with our son---no trach, no oxygen assistance, just us and our baby. Despite all we went through with our son, I knew deep down I had a desire for another child. I wanted to fully experience pregnancy in a way I didn’t get to. I knew it would take trusting God to go through it again. To our surprise, we found out we were pregnant… Read More

July 27, 2020
Adoption/Foster Care Children Labor Unique Ministries
THE LA LA LAND KIND CAFE

We need to care and be kind to one another. I was blown away when I learned how America has failed older kids in the foster care system. Once foster kids reach the age of 18, they "age out". How can we possibly allow the most vulnerable kids---those without parents---to be released into the world with no help? Many of them have nowhere to go or live. A shocking number become homeless, turn to drugs or alcohol, or even prostitution. I ran a fairly successful restaurant at a young age, but I found that having a packed restaurant and making money wasn't making me happy. I wanted to find purpose in my life so I started volunteering with a number of organizations. That’s when I learned about the plight of older foster kids. I felt led to do something. Initially, I started the We Are One project, where we tried to provide everything these kids would need to become self-sustaining adults: housing, mentorship, job placement and therapy. But it didn't work because the kids couldn't get or keep a job. Without a job, their life deteriorated. Employers didn't want to hire kids without experience, and they did not have the patience to teach the kids the skills they needed. If no one was going to hire these kids, we set out to do it ourselves. So I started the La La Land Kind Cafe. We took an old home and transformed it into a coffee shop. We offer organic coffees, teas and delicious treats that our customers love. We hire… Read More

July 20, 2020
Church Activities Senior Citizens
THE TRANSPORTATION MINISTRY

When I was a child, my family was visited by people from a local church. We didn’t go to church at the time. The people who knocked on our door came with an invitation, and a bus that would take us to church. Little did we know that our lives would never be the same after stepping foot in that first service. What I felt in that sanctuary was something I had never felt before: the undeniable presence of God. I wouldn’t be living for God today if it wasn’t for the Transportation Ministry of that church. After many years of seeing its impact, I am now the coordinator in charge of this pivotal ministry. What we do every week changes people’s lives. I do not say this to boast; for only God deserves the glory. I am simply a vessel willing to be used where I am needed. This is how I became involved in the transportation ministry at what is now my home church. I prayed “God, what do you want me to do? Wherever you need me, I will go.” Then God gave me a burden for this ministry. We simply drive to different areas of Flint, knock on doors, and offer people a ride to church. These are people who do not have the means to come on their own. Many have never been to church and lack the motivation to go. Given the opportunity, people begin to consider this priceless offer. What we are really offering them is a path to hope. The theme for our church this year… Read More

July 14, 2020
Loving Your Neighbor Other Unique Ministries
LOVE EVERYBODY

The world is so divided right now. You can't say anything without offending someone and causing strife. This is so contrary to what God commands us to do: love one another. It's one of His two great commandments. Yet we stand divided on just about every issue. God woke me up one night and laid it on my heart that I needed to do something about this. I didn't know what someone with my skills could do about something that significant, so I tried to ignore it. But it kept eating at me throughout the day, which I can see now was the Holy Spirit at work. A few days later, I was driving and the guy on the radio said we just need a big sign that says to love everybody. And I felt God's presence all over me. That was what He wanted me to do. So my wife made a sign that simply said "Love Everybody" and I stood on the street corner and waved it at passing cars. The next day, Kerry stopped and gave me a bottle of water. We started talking about race relations and how sad it was that we all just can't get along. I told him I had another sign and asked if he'd like to join me. So here we were, a white man and a black man, waving "Love Everybody" signs at our community. The reaction was amazing. People honked, stopped to talk, and yelled encouragement. One lady took what we thought was a picture, but it turned out… Read More

July 7, 2020
Children Prayer Special Needs
A MOTHER WITH A SPECIAL CALLING

I have had to learn that God has a unique way for each of us to serve Him. I have two adult children with various disabilities. My second son Caleb was born prematurely and spent the first three and a half weeks of his life in intensive care. He was eventually diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Two years later, my daughter Alice was born and within eight months, we knew that she also had developmental delays. Early on, I had to learn to advocate for my children. While navigating many of Caleb’s medical issues, I learned to question doctors and even argue with them when necessary. I also began to learn the rights of parents in the education system. I insisted that Alice (who hears but is not able to speak) get sign language instruction. I refused to sign the IEP until that was incorporated into her learning. As my children were growing up, I learned to be honest in prayer. Sometimes, I’d say, “Lord, I don’t think I can handle this.” And He taught me. He taught me that we can handle more than we think if we let Him hold us up. Also, when we say we want to do great things for God, “great” doesn’t always look the way we expect. For me, service to the Lord consisted of loving and serving my family. It was enjoying them for who they are, and it was praying that they would reach new heights. It was letting them fight their battles independently too, even though I always let them know how… Read More

June 30, 2020

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 39

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 118

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 169

Verbalizing the Gospel 77

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