My father came to this great country for a better life. He came to know the Lord Jesus as his personal savior and his change meant great persecution. When he arrived in the United States, he dedicated his life to preaching the truth of who Jesus is to the Italian immigrant community. I remember my father praying daily that his children would have a relationship with Jesus, and that someday our family would have pastors and missionaries in it. Now that my father has passed, remembering those prayers gives me great comfort. I have done all I can to follow in my father's footsteps and raise my children to know Jesus. Although I work at a construction company during the week, my real passion is for the church we helped plant many, many years ago. My wife and I decided to move from the heart of the city to an area filled with Italian immigrants to help a new pastor plant a church. I literally built the church brick by brick after work and on the weekends. My wife brought us food every day as we worked to make this dream a reality. That was over 60 years ago now. It's hard to believe. I am amazed every time I walk through the doors of my church---amazed that I was privileged to help build it; and amazed at the number of people who are now following the Lord because of the ministry through this church. My children are a product of that ministry. In fact, my son is a pastor… Read More
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?
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It is not very often that one can drive down a street and see tangible results of their volunteer work. But this is a gift I receive by volunteering with Christmas In Action - Spartanburg, a small nonprofit that aids the elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners in our county with free home repairs. "Love your neighbor as yourself," (Matthew 22:39) is one of my favorite verses and words that I strive to live by each day. My husband and I were familiar with the great work of the Christmas in Action chapters around the country, and we started a Spartanburg chapter when we moved here in 1997. With support of my family and church, I have had the opportunity to share God's grace with hundreds of fellow neighbors that simply need a hand-up and not a handout. As a local realtor, I understand how a home impacts a person's psyche and typically, impoverished homeowners go without; living in homes with leaking roofs, electrical problems that can trigger a fire, rotting floors, or insect and rodent infestation. Like the mold in the house, these problems spread, affecting the health and well-being of the homeowner as well as the community at large. For over twenty years, this is how I have been able to share God's message with those who need it most. One of homeowners that touched my heart the most was a single elderly woman who did not have access to hot water. Our volunteer team installed a new hot water heater and purchased new towels, washcloths and shower curtain for her first hot shower in her home. The tears that streamed down her face when… Read More
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The teenage years are crucial for a child, so when our older daughter was joining the church's youth group, we decided to become youth leaders. We planned to continue until our younger daughter graduated from high school. We just wanted to know their friends, their parents, and be involved in their lives. We had no idea that from the moment we started volunteering as youth leaders what that would mean for the rest of our lives. Both our girls have finished college and moved out. But we are still at the youth group every Wednesday. We're at every lock in, convention, concert, and a lot of their sporting events. We didn't realize that by just wanting to spend time with our daughters, we would find our calling: working with the youth. We're grandparents now and thought the kids would no longer want us to be around. But when we mentioned retiring from youth ministry, kids started coming up to us, asking us to wait until they had graduated from high school. Many of these kids come from difficult homes. They haven't seen a good marriage. Many have no male role model in their lives. For many of them, we are their consistent adult relationship. And so, we continue to pour into these young lives. We go to their ball games, listen as they share their difficulties, help them with their school work, pray with them, and really just love them. Although we only have two biological daughters, each of these kids are our own. They are a part of our family.… Read More
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I received an alarming call in early 2010. "Momma, please take care of my girls. I can't do this anymore!" My daughter was in a relationship that led her down a very destructive path. In short, she ended up losing her children and spending the next several years in and out of the drug world. She begged me to keep her girls and I agreed. Thus began an incredible calling. What was supposed to be a few months turned into years. I received full custody of my granddaughters and stayed in constant prayer for my daughter. I prayed over my granddaughters and taught them to pray as well. I spoke life over them and encouraged them to dream big, forgive daily, and always put God first. Now at ages 15 and 20, my granddaughters are shaping up to be amazing, intelligent, beautiful women of God. Every day, I see more of how God has taken someone like me and has used me exactly the way I wanted to be used. I can't imagine where my granddaughters would be today. Would they have followed the same path as their mother? I don't know. What I do know is God works all things for His good. My daughter is now clean and focused on building a sustainable life for herself. She speaks to her girls daily, and they have nothing but love and forgiveness toward her. God worked through me to love, help, and make a difference in these girls' lives. I've always wanted God to use me in a mighty way. I wanted to make a difference, and be… Read More
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I became a certified x-ray technician when I was 18 years old so I could pay my way through Bible school. I had no idea it would become a large part of my ministry to the community. And I certainly had no intention of continuing in the field for almost 50 years. But the Lord places us in the exact place He needs us to be used for His purposes. After graduating from Bible school and marrying my husband, a local pastor, I moved from general x-ray to becoming a mammogram technician. Those first few weeks were a bit nerve wracking and strange as I helped woman after woman with this machine. It was during these initial weeks that I discovered the Lord had more in store for my job than just a paycheck. He first impressed upon me to write down the names of the women who were about to receive the worst news of their lives, and pray for them during my devotional time. As I continued in obedience, that led to some interesting divine opportunities where I was able to pray with my patients. As the Lord continued working in my heart, I discovered I had a boldness within me I didn't know existed. And through this boldness, I began asking every patient if I could pray with her. I never received a negative response. In fact, over the years, I have been able to minister to thousands of women and share about the love of Jesus with each of them. It has been a wonderful time working for the Lord… Read More
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For so long in Ghana, women were not treated equally. A decade ago, most girls here were not allowed to go to school because it was believed that only men were supposed to be educated---they were the bread winners. But that has now changed, and the pendulum has swung. Maybe too far. Women now have equal rights, but many of them do not respect men. They almost treat men as useless. I call it "extreme feminism." I felt led to do something about this, and correct these misperceptions. I founded an organization called Pretty and Priceless a year ago. It is a Christian foundation that seeks to coach, mentor and inspire girls in the light of God's word, teaching them that everything they do must have eternal value but respect the men in their lives. We study the Word of God. We educate by outreaches, social media, pamphlets and other Christian materials. We also have a prayer network for women called GLOW---Godly Ladies of Worth. The prayer network meets on the last Friday of every month to pray with young ladies all around Ghana. The well-being of women is our concern. Our aim is to give faith to the faithless lady, hope to the hopeless lady and help to the helpless. Our motto is Raising Beacons of Hope. It is my prayer that Pretty and Priceless will continue to empower young women in a positive direction, while making a long lasting and deep impression in their hearts with the word of God.