Stories - Page 43 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?

Children Food Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel
GRACE

One Saturday of every month, I host a prayer breakfast for adults in my home. One day, we noticed a diverse group of children walking up and down my street with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Idle time can create trouble for pre-teens and teenagers, especially without much supervision at home. I prayed and asked God, "Lord, if you want me to start a Bible class for these kids, then send me five to participate. I could hold a class on the other three Saturdays of each month." I chose the number five because of the five letters in the word, Grace. G-R-A-C-E is love in action. Grace is what every man needs, what none can earn, and what God alone can and does freely give. God sent more than five on that first Saturday. In fact, for the past nine years, kids have come for a hot cooked breakfast, Bible study, memorization time, and singing and music time. The kids are sometimes accompanied by adults. The Bible class eventually grew to over 30 kids, three Saturdays a month. It now even includes kids who don't live in the neighborhood. These kids ask to be dropped off, or call for a ride. They want to get here. The kids especially love the music. We play the piano and sing praises to the Lord. Memorization time is spent learning the Ten Commandments and Bible verses. Hebrews 10:25 says "Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as… Read More

December 30, 2019
Children Mentoring Unique Ministries
MENTORING A YOUNG BOY

As a university professor, I spend most of my time with adults. I love mentoring these future leaders. It's very fulfilling work. But twice a month, I spend my lunch hour with an elementary school boy that I met through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. I joined Big Brothers/Big Sisters as a way of showing my students how to give back to the local community. As a father of three adult children, I knew I would enjoy spending time with a little boy, but I had no idea just how much life our relationship would give me. I look forward to these lunches. I know that we'll have interesting conversations and that I'll leave our time not only having invested in a young man who needs a solid male role model, but I'll leave with a heart full of love and a few fun anecdotes to share with my students. This gives me an opportunity to put my Christian faith into real action. My Little Brother has given me so much insight on life, God, teaching, mentoring, and how I see the world. Each week, I am amazed as he shares his young heart with me. My only hope is that I am able to bless him as much has he has blessed me. And I hope this inspires others to look into their own local Big Brother/Big Sister program. Almost everyone can sacrifice a few lunches a month to spend some time with a young person who needs it.

December 9, 2019
Financial Help Prayer Recovery
SOMEHOW PROVIDING FOR MY FAMILY

I was 26 years old when my dad passed away. He was one of my heroes. He battled bipolar disorder, and unfortunately took his own life. It was sudden, not something we saw coming. We were in total anguish, and left with such a void. Yet, in that moment, I cried aloud, "Thank you Jesus." I said it three times. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with a peace that surpassed my understanding. I had truly felt God. In the days that followed, my family and I grieved. On top of that, my mom and little sister couldn't afford to continue living in her home. At the time, I shared an apartment with my brother and knew it would be too small for them to move in. Being the eldest, I wanted to take care of my mom and little sister, but didn't know where to start. I spent my days in prayer, constantly relying on God for strength and guidance. A friend of mine builds homes for a living. He was just about to break ground on a new home, and out of the blue, he came to me and offered it at his cost. Financially, I looked at the numbers and I knew this was God. So I bought it. I wanted the home to be a surprise for my mom. After all, she's the other hero in my life. It would be something she could call her own, with me right upstairs. The day came to unveil my mom's surprise to her. It was a day filled with tears, but… Read More

December 2, 2019
Labor Mission Work
THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

I felt called to serve the Lord when I was in high school, and that's when I went on my first mission trip. Then during physician assistant school, I started going on mission trips with the Christian Medical and Dental Association and other organizations to Central and South America. It is encouraging, serving alongside and building relationships with a diverse group of providers and international believers. Seeing how God uses short-term missions to draw people to Himself is amazing. Now as a full-time physician assistant, I don't have the chance to go on as many mission trips. I work in a teaching hospital and clinic, and that has helped me learn more about what it means to disciple others. Working closely and regularly with people has helped me better receive and extend grace. I try to follow what's written in Micah: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Serving the families of and children with many different kinds of cancers and blood disorders has given me the opportunity to encourage, give hope, and help ease complicated and sometimes sorrowful situations. In what some might find to be an emotionally heavy field, I find strength in what I know to be true of our Heavenly Father. Knowing God's goodness, that He is ultimately in control, and that He works all things for the good of those who love Him helps me find joy in Him in any circumstance. I pray for ways to share this with my coworkers and patients in a secular environment.

November 25, 2019
Children Food Labor Special Needs
A SPECIAL APPROACH TO BUSINESS

My wife and I opened an ice cream shop three years ago, and it's been an amazing experience for our family. Not just the ice cream, although that's good! It's our 12 employees. All but one are young adults with special needs. We have some with autism, some with Down Syndrome and one in a wheelchair. They bless us and our customers each day. They truly enjoy their job and simply pour out love to everyone that walks through our doors. I've been in the restaurant industry my whole career, an industry with a terrible turnover rate. So many people think they are above this work. They can't stand the repetition, and get frustrated dealing with the public. One day, I was studying the Bible passage about the disciples fishing all night long on one side of the boat. They didn't catch a thing. Jesus said try fishing on the other side, and their nets became full. What would happen if we tried "fishing on the other side" when it came to business? And that's what we've done. There aren't a lot of jobs for people with special needs. Hope starts to fade away. But people with special needs are thrilled to work, and so many actually thrive on repetition. Plus, they love being around people. Our goal is to change the way businesses hire people with special needs. We've got one company store and one franchise store, but we have franchise applications from 100+ locations that would all employ people with special needs. This experience has deepened our faith. There were times when we didn't… Read More

November 18, 2019
Prayer Senior Citizens Verbalizing the Gospel
A LEGACY OF FAITH AND PRAISE

I am 80 years old. I’ve lived a full and blessed life. When I leave this earth, in God’s timing, the only thing I want people to say about me is “she loved God, and she loved people.” I don’t want to write my epitaph, I want to live it. I’ve been serving the Lord for over 40 years, I was 36 years old when I started my journey with Him. From the start, I knew my call from the Lord was to speak my testimony and that is what I have done. I speak life and faith over others every day. I am so grateful for every little thing in my life. I’ve been suicidal, I’ve been messed up, I’ve battled sickness, I’ve even been declared dead three times but I always gave God the glory for every victory He brought me through. It’s an honor to me that those around have taken notice of the God that I live for. If my light is on and my door is cracked, people know they can come here for prayer. It’s my opportunity to show others that God is real, He’s personal. I want others to believe it when God says they have a purpose, because if they don’t believe it, they won’t receive it. I want my home to always be open to those in need. I want to reach out in love, in prayer, or even with just a smile to others, because when I leave my home, my ultimate goal is for others to see Christ in… Read More

November 12, 2019

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 112

Prison Ministry 11

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 160

Verbalizing the Gospel 73

Submit a Story

Listen To Our Podcast

Support The Christian Heart

Sign Up For Our Inspiring Newsletter