Stories - Page 52 of 82 - 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?

Food Hospital Labor Unique Ministries
HEALTHY MEALS TO CANCER PATIENTS

I have worked in the cancer field my whole career. I've seen the struggles patients go through and how it permeates every facet of their lives. I know how difficult it is to get the right nutrition during different phases of cancer treatment. So the idea of delivering nutritious meals to cancer patients started swimming in my brain years ago. But I kept it bottled up. How could I possibly pull off something like this? Whenever I let my mind wander on to this dream, I saw obstacles pop up. A year ago, I had three close friends in their forties diagnosed with cancer, so the idea was really on my mind. That's when I told a few people about my idea. They were all rather intrigued, so they promised to pray about it. Within a few months, several pieces of the puzzle came together. Was this a sign from God? So I started praying for further signs, figuring if God wanted to use me, I would be all in. And the signs came. I prayed for some guidance on nutrition, and a chef volunteered her time. I prayed for direction on how to make meals for a number of people at once, and the availability of a local commercial kitchen reared its head. So I started asking people to pray for a specific obstacle that stood in my way, and one by one, the obstacles dissolved. Maybe not the way I expected, but the door was opened for me. So I jumped in and formed Meals OnCol. We provide cancer… Read More

January 28, 2019
Children Unique Ministries
USING MY UNIQUE TALENTS FOR HIM

I come from a very musical family. I wasn't blessed with the gift of singing, but I was rhythmically inclined. My mother was a great dancer, and she showed me a few moves. Then, I discovered Michael Jackson and James Brown. I studied their moves and worked to perfect my gift. Growing up in Queens at the time, Hip Hop was a bit combative. I started to learn how to battle rap and dance. It was a way for me to express myself. It wasn't long until I became a part of that culture and fluent in its artistic language. In my late teens, I left New York and moved to a small town in Kentucky. I gave my heart to Christ in 2000 and He completely turned my life around. I began serving in the youth ministry at my church, and quickly became a mentor to a number of young people. I saw a little bit of myself in some of the kids, and I wanted to help them express themselves with their God-given talents. Thus began the start of Opfor: Open Platforms For Outreach. It was a vision that God birthed in my heart to empower creative young people to use various art forms to bring enrichment to our culture and communities. One manifestation of this is our Friday night "sessions." We set up in a parking lot on a busy street in town every week. I open with prayer, then we play music; and dancers, singers, rappers and visual artists come out and share their talents with the community. We take time to spread the Gospel during each session, and to encourage and build up the young people of the area. Ultimately, the purpose of Opfor… Read More

January 25, 2019
Children Homeless Labor
TUTORING HOMELESS CHILDREN

I was 46 years old and with my only child entering high school, I was praying about what I should do with the second half of my life. As a teacher and educator, I volunteered at my daughter's school, and one day I picked up a magazine to read while I was waiting for my next student. I was looking for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe in a magazine when an article called 'Lessons in Love' caught my attention. There was an older lady standing there with a child, both holding school supplies and backpacks in their hands. It was Agnes Stevens and she had started a program called School on Wheels in California. Agnes was a retired nun and school teacher who had been teaching school across the street from a homeless shelter. All the homeless kids would come to school without supplies or backpacks. Here was a woman who saw social injustice, wanted to do something about it, and just did it. As I was reading the article, it felt like God tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Here you go." I called Agnes and asked her how to start the program here in Massachusetts. And I did. We started in 2004 by working with two family shelters, giving out 50 backpacks and tutoring about 20 kids a week. By the time I retired as executive director in June 2018, we had 14 program sites tutoring over 250 kids and giving out 2,800 backpacks. I always knew this was too big for me, but it wasn't too big for… Read More

January 21, 2019
Financial Help Labor
HONORING JESUS IN MY BUSINESS

As a chiropractor, I take my patients' health very seriously. I work hard to look at the entire person and his or her health, not just a few symptoms. I am very passionate about this and I believe that passion comes from the Lord. Every time a patient leaves my office able to move a bit better than when he arrived, I give God thanks for His help and pray that it is for His glory. Just as I believe in treating the whole person, I believe it is my responsibility as a follower of Christ to live out my faith in every area of my life. That includes my chiropractic business. I work hard to deal in the utmost integrity with my patients and the community. I have also made it a policy that half of every patient's first visit's cost goes to a charity we support. They are are all Christian charities and serve our local community both through service and proclamation. We will certainly continue this practice. The Lord truly continues to bless me as I work to honor Him in my life and in my business.

January 14, 2019
Labor Special Needs Unique Ministries
HELPING CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE

When you spend a few hours helping build a wheelchair ramp for someone who is homebound, you play a part in changing someone's life. That's what struck me when I was part of a Kiwanis club that built a ramp about 30 years ago. It was amazing to see the new-found freedom the person in the wheelchair enjoyed. In the following months, I felt the Lord leading me to get more involved. I discovered many people who need a ramp don't have the money or the knowledge of what it takes to make it happen. So they are stuck in their house for much of their lives. It was hard to imagine. So my club started building more ramps for people. We went from building a couple a year to 25 per month. We received referrals from hospitals, rehab facilities and dialysis centers who knew clients that needed ramps. People would hear what we were doing and come volunteer their time. The project just kept growing. These ramps were donated to the homeowner, so we needed funds to make this happen. We became a 501(c)(3) so we could solicit grant money to help fund these ramps. It was obvious the Lord was in this because everything kept falling into place. We became the Texas Ramp Project. We now have over 3,500 volunteers that have provided 16,000 free ramps throughout our state. Most of these residents don't have a lot and the majority are over 60, but there are a good number of children suffering from spina bifida. The Texas Ramp Project… Read More

January 8, 2019
Children Labor Unique Ministries
FREE MUSIC LESSONS FOR THESE KIDS

Every Monday evening, the practice rooms in our Fine Arts hall are filled with university student music instructors and pupils eager to learn piano, guitar or drums. However, this isn't just another music school. This is a Christian ministry called WOVEN: With One Voice Energizing Neighborhoods. It all started 16 years ago when another faculty member and I decided to begin giving piano lessons to the neighborhood kids surrounding our inner-city campus. Our mission is to provide opportunities for success through music literacy and performance for the children of downtown Minneapolis through mentoring and teaching music. We work on theory, understanding the instrument, and how to read notes and rhythms. An additional goal is to build relationships and help each child feel special through one-on-one attention. Music is a powerful gift to help people express themselves. The children come ready with big smiles on their faces. The program offers the lessons free of charge to families in the neighborhoods near campus. At the end of the semester, we hold a performance celebration, where the music students and instructors alike beam with pride for all that has been accomplished. Making a child feel cared for is one of the greatest impacts we can have on a life. I love that I get to do this through this music ministry.

December 31, 2018

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Adoption/Foster Care 38

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Loss Of Loved One 38

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 116

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 166

Verbalizing the Gospel 76

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