Stories - Page 64 of 84 - 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?

Labor Verbalizing the Gospel
THE LORD GUIDES OUR BUSINESS

Several years ago, an opportunity landed in our laps to start our own business. The steps leading to this seemed like it was divine intervention. But I was still full of anxiety because I had never run my own company. I called various banks to discuss a small business loan to get things rolling, and after meeting with several that didn’t seem quite right, I met with the guy who would become our banker. We talked at length about the business and life in general. Then he walked me to my car and asked, “Greg, I’m really not supposed to ask this, but do you believe in God?” When I answered yes, he was visibly relieved and asked if he could pray with me. In the middle of the bank parking lot, he laid his hands on me, and prayed. When he had finished, he looked up and said the Lord had some very special plans for me and this business. In the years since, the Lord has been very faithful in making our business grow in ways we never imagined. Even more importantly, every day I am meeting with potential clients and employees who recognize my relationship with God. They ask me to pray with and for them, and I am happy to oblige. I can’t recall the number of times I have had opportunities to share about the love of Jesus with people through my work. And I’m in the compost business! Recently, our largest client decided not to renew our contract because of a change in their business philosophy. This was… Read More

May 11, 2018
Mentoring Unique Ministries
A BREAKDANCING MINISTRY

I am in full-time ministry and married to the love of my life. We have four young children under the age of five. Oh, and I happen to enjoy breakdancing. My ministry is not what you would normally expect. From the outside, you will see a group of young guys from all different backgrounds breakdancing and having a blast. What is actually happening is discipleship. Years ago, I picked up breakdancing as a hobby and then God started using it as a tool to deeply engage the hip-hop culture. The goal is to reach the breaking community and see the Spirit transform it. Ministry in Break Free is for the engagement in the lives of other breakdancers. Breakdancing is a great tool for this community because it is in every major city center around the world. It is mainly comprised of men, ages 18-35, which has been a hard group for the church to reach. We get to engage at the deepest levels of life with these men. We are often the only voices they hear that are sharing the gospel. Many of these men have never seen healthy marriages, faithful fathers, or have had deep friendships of any kind. We pray that we can share our lives, model healthy patterns, and show the transforming work of the gospel. When I lived in Dallas, I poured my life into three men who have now become passionate disciple-makers in their communities. My prayer is that all the young men involved in Break Free become passionate disciple-makers and also, leaders and influencers in their communities. We want… Read More

May 8, 2018
Church Activities Food Unique Ministries
LITERALLY PLANTING SEEDS

I was looking for a way to help our local community. I absolutely love helping people because that's how I came to know the love of Christ. I was at a low point in life and some Christians reached out with kindness. Their generosity was so surprising that it led me to give my heart to Jesus. I'm so thankful for them and that's why I am always looking for ways to help others. Since I work, I couldn't be at our church's food bank distribution time. That is my absolute favorite ministry, but the time just doesn't work with my schedule. I sat down with my pastor and complained about having to work and not being able to help others as much as I'd like. He told me the food bank was running out of food and there wasn't a lot of money to buy more. After brainstorming a bit, we came up with an idea: use part of our empty field to grow fresh food. I've never been a farmer, but I knew I could learn. I asked some folks I knew had good-producing gardens, and we came up with a plan for this empty field. It took a bit, but now we have about a half-acre of land we use to grow corn, potatoes, cabbage, and a host of other fresh ingredients. I come by the church before and after work to check on our crops. It has been surprisingly easy and has proven to be a great way to help those in need. What's even better is we now… Read More

May 4, 2018
Children Labor Unique Ministries
HELPING CHILDREN BLOSSOM

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." This verse in Proverbs made more sense after I had my second child. I used to bring neighborhood children to my house every Saturday afternoon to share stories from the Bible. Most of them usually came because we always had candy and other treats. After a few weeks, I noticed there was a lack of Christ-centered children's learning materials in Ghana. Even our TV channels do not have many Christ-centered children's videos and songs. If children are not exposed to Christ-centered content from a very young age, they will likely not watch or read Christian content when they grow up. When they are young, it's their blossoming stage. That's why I started an organization called Blossom in January. I produce books, puzzles, board games and building blocks with scriptures and stories from the Bible. I want to merge the Montessori teaching style with the Gospel. So children who use our learning materials will learn to love Jesus. We are looking to expand as the Holy Spirit leads into the production of videos, songs and a 24-hour TV station with exclusive and entertaining Christ-centered content for children and teenagers. My husband and I currently fund this but I know this idea is from God, and I believe He will help us expand this to reach many more children in other African countries.

May 1, 2018
Overcoming Obstacles Prayer
THE POWER OF PRAYER

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

April 26, 2018
Church Activities Overcoming Obstacles Unique Ministries
A NEW HEART

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

April 24, 2018

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 41

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 123

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 48

Unique Ministries 174

Verbalizing the Gospel 78

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