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?
  • Overcoming Obstacles Recovery Unique Ministries

    HELPING PEOPLE ADDICTED TO PORN

    It is devastating to find out your husband is addicted to pornography, especially when he's in the ministry and you think you have a good marriage. We had been married 17 years, had three children and he was the worship pastor of our church when I found out that he had been secretly viewing pornography our entire marriage. And that sexual addiction had led to a string of sexual encounters. In the devastation of his exposure, I wondered what I should do. So much of my identity was in trying to be the perfect Christian, the good example, and working for people's approval. Now my life seemed to be falling apart. Was this the end of our marriage? We immediately began meeting with a counselor and seeking recovery and restoration. I knew I still loved this man, that we had a history together, a family, a relationship, and I didn't want to give up on that. I decided to stay and see what God had in store for us. In addition to healing us and our marriage, we found He also wanted to use our story in other ways. One night a friend called in tears, telling me that her husband had an affair, and that she just needed to talk. I felt like God's hand was in this. He wanted us to use our experience to help others. If I can help someone by being there for them and listening, that is valuable. I don't have to have all the answers. Hurting people need to vent; they need a… Read More

  • Children Church Activities Verbalizing the Gospel

    KEEPING TEENS ON THE RIGHT PATH

    My search for the truth began in earnest when I became a father. My son’s birth made me wonder more than ever: Why are we here? What is the meaning of this life? I'm from Russia and I was born Jewish. I thought Christ was not for me. But I started reading the Bible, and the story of Jesus touched me. A woman from a Russian-speaking church was sharing the Gospel in a park, and I happened to walk by. I had so many questions! She wasn’t used to someone coming up to her voluntarily. She usually was the one to come up to people, so when she saw my interest, she invested time in talking with me. She opened up her home to me and demonstrated what a truly passionate believer in Jesus looks like. And that changed my life. Now, that I’ve been a Christian for several years, I’m one of the leaders of the Youth Discussions for teenagers at my church. Living in New York City is tough for teenagers; there are a lot of temptations. Some kids start doing drugs at that age and get hooked for life. Some kids drop out of school and get caught up with the wrong crowd. Parents don’t always have time to talk about the tough issues with their kids. I think that developing a relationship with the Lord can keep teenagers on the straight path. We want them to feel the beauty of life with God, to think about how they can apply the Bible’s values to their everyday life. We want… Read More

  • Adoption/Foster Care Children Special Needs

    A VERY SPECIAL FAMILY

    You could say our house is a little busy. We adopted five children from China, all with special needs, after having four biological children. Scripture says to take care of the widows and the orphans, and this is a passion the Lord has given us. My husband and I felt we needed to do something beyond just living a comfortable lifestyle in the suburbs. He has a good job and we wanted to extend that blessing and share the love of Christ. Two of our kids require blood transfusions every three weeks to keep alive, but you'd never know it by the way they run around all over the place. Two other children have spina bifida and one just had his leg amputated to prepare him for a life with a prosthetic. But we tackle these problems one day at a time and as a loving family. Adopting these beautiful children has helped our biological kids learn how to care for others, to sacrifice. When one child is going through something serious, it affects the eight other kids. It's teaching all of us that we are not called to a life of "me". Some people wonder why we adopt children with special needs. I don't think a large family is as scared raising a child with special needs because they have dealt with kids being sick and having issues. We realize no one is perfect. Adoption comes out of brokenness and loss, so every child who is adopted has had to deal with some type of trauma, even if they are perfectly healthy. Having… Read More

  • Labor Verbalizing the Gospel

    STUDYING WHAT IS IMPORTANT

    As early as the first grade, I remember hating school. While my older brothers were studying and succeeding in their academic endeavors, I was staring at the classroom clock, waiting for the bell to ring. As I approached the end of high school, I opted to study auto mechanics at a vocational school instead of the regular school classes and prayed for school to be over so I could start doing manual work. Graduation marked the end of my schooling and I started a job where I helped build airplanes. During this time, I became a true believer and began reading and studying the Bible, as well as attending Bible studies. I thought it ironic that I struggled to pay attention and follow teachers throughout school, but the Bible was written in a way that I could understand. I worked with all sorts of people at the aircraft company, and was thankful for the coworkers who allowed me to listen to Bible study tapes and sermons while we worked. They were coworkers who had troubled and difficult pasts, and I was amazed by the way God worked through my simple tapes to speak to them. My humble, blue collar jobs led to many other opportunities to love and share the Gospel with others. I spent most of my working years in road construction and worked alongside men from all walks of life. During this time, God gave me the ability to speak to coworkers about faith, forgiveness, and reconciliation in marriage. Since I have retired, God has continued to give me opportunities to… Read More

  • Hospital Overcoming Obstacles Prayer

    GROWING IN THE VALLEY

    When I found out I had ovarian cancer, I had been a believer for 10 years and was the leader of our Sunday school for children. My doctors told me I would need to have surgery followed by chemotherapy. I learned what it meant to struggle with weakness, pain and worry on a daily basis. Our other Sunday school teachers created a schedule for visiting me and taking care of me. Our Sunday school kids drew pictures of me being healthy again and sent them to me. I finished the chemotherapy treatment but half a year later, the cancer came back. While I was getting treatment, I had moments where I grew very afraid. At one of those moments, I called a friend from my church. She was driving in a car with other believers and they stopped the car to pray for me over the phone. And God gave her a word: “There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). When I heard those words, I found myself praying, “God, forgive me for not having perfect love.  If I had perfect love, I would not be able to feel fear.” And I saw a vision of Jesus coming down from a large staircase. I experienced so much peace and joy at that moment. When God finally cured me of my illness, I self-published a book about my trial by fire, and even printed some copies in my native language. Now, I frequently give a copy… Read More

  • Loss Of Loved One Mentoring Unique Ministries

    HELPING THE HEARTBROKEN

    My wife and I are blessed to have experienced the amazing miracle of childbirth three times. But sometimes the joy quickly turns to heartbreak. When our oldest son, Maddux, was just two days old, the nurse noticed his fingers weren't getting the blood flow needed. She called a heart specialist to evaluate him. Up to this point, everything had gone smoothly with no indications of the news we were to receive. The specialist said Maddux needed to be taken to UAB immediately for further examination. Tests revealed Maddux was born with a one-in-a-million heart defect, and would need surgery. There were only three places in the world that perform that heart surgery: Paris, Toronto or Boston. So on his fifth day of life, we were on a MedJet plane to Boston. Maddux had open heart surgery by one of the world's finest pediatric surgeons. During his road to recovery, I would read the Bible to him every night, rubbing the side of his head because that was about the only place he didn't have tubes. Maddux had a few complications but made enough progress that we could return to UAB. He struggled to gain weight, but he was a fighter and after a few weeks, we got to take him home---one of the best days of our lives. But one day when he was four months old, he was not himself. We took him to Children's Hospital and were devastated to hear he had contracted a staph infection. His little body could not fight it, and a short time later, our beloved son passed… Read More

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