Stories - Page 46 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?

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
Children Labor Loss Of Loved One Mentoring
SUFFICIENT GRACE MINISTRIES

I founded Sufficient Grace Ministries for Women in 2004, eight years after the loss of my twin daughters Faith and Grace and about six years after the loss of my son, Thomas. Faith and Grace were born still in 1996 at 26 weeks, while Thomas only lived for six hours after he was born full-term. When I was pregnant, he’d been diagnosed with Potter’s Syndrome, which was termed ‘incompatible with life.’ I chose to continue to love and carry Thomas to term so we could meet and hold him before he went back home to Heaven. One of the greatest privileges of my life has been to sing to my sweet boy in my arms as he went to the arms of Jesus. While many mothers naturally find themselves searching for purpose in the pain or beauty from the ashes after the loss of a child, I was hesitant in the early years of raw grief to enter into the bereavement support world. It wasn't until I was searching for a way to support a friend who was walking through the grief when her daughter was born still in 2003 that I began to ask myself, "What would I have wanted? What would've been a comfort to me?" It was like waking up from a deep sleep, as God brought to my heart the great need of the grieving mothers around me. I began with the Dreams of You Memory Book, a baby book created especially for babies with a brief life--a place to write memories and the dreams… Read More

November 4, 2019
Loving Your Neighbor Mission Work Senior Citizens
THE VOLUNTEER

Most people look forward to the day they retire. I suppose I was no different. At first, I wanted a typical sit-around-and-lounge retirement, but the fantasy of that wore off quickly. It didn't take long before I was bored and searching for something to do. I started to get involved in the community that I love dearly, and that's when I really began to enjoy my retirement. Most people don't understand the concept of volunteering. They think they are doing others a service, or maybe themselves a service by checking their "good deed" box. Volunteering is simply giving of yourself, expecting nothing in return, and having joy in that simple gesture. Jesus set the perfect example of volunteering. The Bible says Jesus came to serve, not to be served. In the past five years, I have joyfully volunteered with 10-12 organizations and currently spend 25+ hours a week participating in seven different organizations. It truly is the joy of my life being the hands and feet of Jesus with these organizations. God has provided so many opportunities for me to be a light all over my community by simply doing what Jesus did, and that is to serve.

October 28, 2019
Food Loving Your Neighbor Unique Ministries
BLESS-N-BASKET

I remember a time when family not only meant that which you were born into, but also the people around us who we "do life" with. God is the greatest advocate for community, and I do not believe it is by chance that we find unity there. Bless-N-Basket was birthed from the very idea of putting unity back into community, and loving on our neighbors as Christ commanded. What was supposed to be a small get together for women in the living room of our home soon became a call to start a complete food pantry. The very first meeting in July 2018 brought 15 to 20 women together in our little living room in Lincoln, Alabama. We had a time of devotion and prayer, and afterwards, each lady left with a box or two of food for their own family or friends. That night, it became evident that these meetings were not just for women. For as many women as there were in our living room, there were just as many men standing outside. We quickly outgrew our home, so we moved the meetings to our business showroom. By November, we were busting at the seams and knew that we were going to need a bigger place to meet. I look back now and can see the hand of God was always orchestrating the next move. About the time the need for more space became a necessity, we were blessed with a divine connection to New Hope Ministries in Oxford, Alabama. In January of 2019, Bless-N-Basket Food Ministries held its first meeting… Read More

October 21, 2019
Mentoring Prison Ministry Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel
MINISTERING TO WOMEN IN JAIL

I was a sixteen year old girl when I heard Matthew 25:36. “I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you visited me.” The verse about visiting those in prison had always stuck with me. Many years later, a group called the Gideons spoke to my church about their prison ministry. I asked one of the members after church if I could get involved in their ministry. He said that I had to be a Gideon, and I reluctantly left it at that. But three months later, the member reached out to me, saying that a new jail was being built in my town that would house men and women. They were told if they didn’t have a woman to visit the women’s section, they could no longer go to minister to the men’s section. I jumped at the chance. Each and every Saturday morning for the past 19 years, I have spent two hours at the women's jail. I meet with the women, listen, pray, and bring them hope and encouragement. I want them to know that God loves them, God created them, and there is nothing they have done that God will not forgive. I use a set of seven bible studies, each comprised of 12 - 24 lessons. I teach four lessons each time we meet. They read the lesson, have discussions, answer questions and take a test. When they finish, they are awarded a certificate of completion that is so important to many of… Read More

October 14, 2019
Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Prayer
GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US

Looking back, God had prepared us for the accident that day. Close to the end of a leisurely bike ride, a fluke accident happened and we both went tumbling to the pavement. My husband suffered a horrific concussion. He was immediately life flighted to Grady Hospital in Atlanta. I immediately knew we were in the place we needed to be: one of the best level 1 trauma centers in the country. Tim would soon be rushed into ICU for a needle drain on the top of his skull. He had severe bleeding on his brain. I immediately knew that God would take care of Tim. Whether that meant he would not survive, or that he would stay here with us, I knew He was in control. God gave us doctors who not only encouraged us to pray, but prayed with us. After a few days, the doctors told me there was only so much they could do medically. They said, "what is left to do now is to pray." At the smallest sign of progress, the doctors would say “let’s close the door and praise God”. A favorite (Nurse Katie) wrote “you are loved” on the tape holding Tim’s breathing tubes in. The waiting room was a prayer circle of everyone whose loved one was suffering. I was present when a previous coma patient came walking through the ICU to thank the medical staff. Dr. Danner said, “look, he made it and Tim can too.” He also told me this “coincidence” was God’s way of staying anonymous. The Caring Bridge… Read More

October 7, 2019

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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