When I heard the first shot, I assumed it was a nearby tractor backfiring. By the third shot, I was down. I started to crawl through the infield dirt to get away. But I couldn't make it far. The bullet had struck me in the hip, shattering bones and piercing internal organs. What should have been a fun Congressional baseball practice with my colleagues turned into a shoot-out between the United States Capitol Police and a gunman. Yet, even in the midst of the chaos and sounds of gunfire, I felt a sense of peace that I was in God's hands. I started praying. I prayed my ten-year-old daughter would not have to walk down the aisle at her future wedding alone. I prayed I would be reunited with my family. And, I prayed the Capitol Police would be able to stop this man from hurting anyone else. Throughout the ordeal and the weeks that followed, I was aware of God's presence and the miracles He performed. Miracles like the Capitol Police being on site. If these heroes had not been there, the rest of our baseball team would have been sitting ducks. It was by the grace of God that it didn't turn into a massacre. I was unconscious for several days, hovering between life and death. I spent weeks in the hospital undergoing surgeries. But I truly felt everyone's prayers. I needed those prayers as I was fighting for my life. This whole ordeal taught me that the power of prayer cannot be underestimated. I have seen God do amazing things. The Congressional… 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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When I was 36, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My husband and I had been in college ministry with Campus Outreach for a decade when this very difficult time hit in our lives. We also had two young sons. I had spent many years walking with God and studying his Word, but this painful challenge came as a shock to our lives and our faith. I wrestled with God through surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. There was plenty of suffering, but we stood on the truths we had learned and taught others. After several harrowing years, I was blessed to be able to step back into full-time ministry, cancer free. Fast forward a decade later, and our sons are now teenagers. Last year, I started to feel shortness of breath and thought I should be checked out. I sat in the Mayo Clinic thinking I had asthma, only to learn that I was in heart failure due to the chemotherapy for the breast cancer. After numerous appointments and tests, the doctors concluded a heart transplant was my only option. I spent over 100 days in the hospital, waiting for someone else to lose his or her life for me to receive a new heart. After this long wait, the perfect match was found, and I underwent a heart transplant. I was blessed once again, and am now fully back to work and engaged in my life and ministry. Through these major health crises, I've had many hard questions for God. I wasn't supposed to get sick. I was young, athletic, and took care of… Read More
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I would consider myself a pretty ordinary person. I am a preacher's kid, married to a godly man, and the mother of two wonderful children, but a few years ago I found myself in the last place imaginable: behind bars. I did not commit a crime or break the law, but an unforeseeable accident resulted in time away from my family. I cannot begin to explain how this felt. I was no criminal, yet I was being treated as one. Despite my circumstances, the Lord never left my side. He provided me with comfort and hope. After several difficult and extremely long years, I was joyfully reunited with my family. As a result of my ordeal, I have been given a desire to meet the needs, both spiritually and physically, of those behind bars. While away, I not only became aware of the spiritual needs of those around me, but I also witnessed firsthand the failings of the prison system. Most people assume that the state prison system meets the needs of the women in their care. However, this is not the case at all. Women are given a handful of necessary items once a month, including a bar of soap, a toothbrush, feminine products, and two rolls of toilet paper. I know from personal experience that this is not enough to meet their needs. So I joined with a friend in ministering to the women of the Washington County Correctional Facility. We collect personal hygiene products and present each inmate with a bag of much-needed extra items. This includes one or two Bible… Read More
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I was working as a hairdresser while going to college in Hawaii. After I graduated, one of my clients asked me to help in her real estate brokerage firm. She had seen my love for people and wanted me as an agent. She gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. She paid for my training, licensing, coaching and continuing education plus gave me all my leads and a weekly salary. This opportunity allowed me to rapidly gain extensive real estate knowledge and skill. And I loved the work! But when we moved to the mainland, my license did not transfer. We did, however, find a church that helped me grow more deeply in my knowledge and love of Christ. I concentrated on raising our children until it came time for my husband to retire from the Navy. While we were deciding what we should do in the next chapter of our lives, our pastor called the church to a two-week fast. Along with the prayer focus of the church, we prayed about our immediate future. Two weeks later, a friend approached me; he had noticed that Facebook posts I had made demonstrated a knowledge of real estate. He asked if I would be interested in joining his brokerage. I was back to doing what I loved, but this time with Jesus Christ at the center of it all. People coming to me are in transition. They may have a new job in a new town or a new baby. Some are empty nesters looking to downsize or a family going through a difficult season.… Read More
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If you have seen comfort dogs on site at crisis situations, then you've probably seen a member of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog ministry team---a network of volunteers and dogs working together to bring compassion where it is needed. This powerful ministry officially began in 2008, but God was working on it even before it became "official." When Hurricane Katrina hit, the LCC Disaster Response Team set up a disaster triage. The team was asked to perform search and rescue for people with animals as many people were refusing to leave their flooding homes without their pets. The team saw firsthand the power of a pet to someone going through a crisis. In February 2008, Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) was contacted and asked to bring the dogs to Northern Illinois University where a shooting had occurred. At this point, it became clear that God was saying to stop waiting for disasters and to put dogs in churches. So, that's what LCC did. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs started with four dogs in August 2008, and since then, it has grown significantly. The network now consists of 130 trained golden retrievers in churches and Christian schools across 23 states to do outreach ministry. People feel safe with the dogs, and the dogs allow the ministry team to go places they may not have been able to go. With the comfort dogs, the team can go out into the world and offer compassion, prayer, and Jesus to those who are hurting. They only go when invited, but they've been asked to serve many communities suffering from tragedies such… Read More
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Since I was a high school senior, I had a dream of starting a youth center for teenagers. Even when people dismissed it, I knew that God had placed that dream on my heart. After I returned from Bible College to Sunbury, PA, my wife and I started a youth center called The Refuge. We wanted to create a safe and fun place for teenagers to go to after school, free of charge. In nine months, our youth center grew to about 50 teens coming in each week. We provided them with a comfortable space, games and a free meal. During the next two years, I went back to school to get my teaching degree (I now teach junior high). However, when I returned, we began to look for a new building in order to reopen The Refuge. When we did find an old broken-down building for $30,000, we received an anonymous donation that covered its cost. It took us three years to get it ready. We restored the building, set up a ping pong table and video games, made it accessible for handicapped kids and prayed it would be a blessing. Now, we also provide homework help, do Bible studies and use recording equipment so the teenagers can make their own music. All of our tutors and cooks are Christian volunteers from a variety of surrounding churches. We want the kids to have a real sense of community when they are here and be exposed to other… Read More