Stories - Page 71 of 83 - 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?

Adoption/Foster Care Children Unique Ministries
HELPING FOSTER CARE FAMILIES

When we became foster parents 16 years ago, we had little to no support. But, we knew God had called us to foster. We live in Spartanburg County, which currently has more kids in foster care than any other county in South Carolina. When we began, we were disheartened by the lack of attention given to foster care and the lack of support for foster care parents. Recognizing a need, we began P.S. I Love You Ministries. It started as a church ministry where we provided childcare for monthly foster care meetings. In addition, we wanted to be a resource for other families serving as foster parents drawing upon our knowledge and experience to answer their questions. We didn’t want foster families to feel alone. We also began making care bags for children entering the foster care system. As foster parents, we saw firsthand how many children enter foster care with few (if any) belongings of their own. We decided to give the children a pillow with their name embroidered on it, so they would have something that was theirs to keep. We also provided them with basic hygiene items, a Bible, and a toy or a blanket. In 2012, we gained nonprofit status, allowing us to partner with even more people in our community. Since then, we have had numerous groups donate items for the care bags. People began to see the needs that extend beyond the care bags and started donating clothing. In October 2016, we officially opened our resource center that houses the P.S. I Love You… Read More

November 14, 2017
Hospital Mentoring Overcoming Obstacles Special Needs
TRAGEDY TURNS INTO A BLESSING

When I was 25 years old, I took a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico where my life was altered forever. I went pier diving and broke my neck when hitting the bottom of the ocean head first. At that moment, I became completely paralyzed from the neck down. By God's grace, I remained conscious and floated up to the surface face down, completely unable to move. Just when I couldn’t hold my breath another second, my friends pulled me out of the water. Soon after, my parents got the phone call back in New York City. They were completely devastated, but cried out to God, even though we weren’t Christians then. This is when God stepped in. My aunt worked at her jewelry store and her friend stopped by just to say hi. Her friend heard what had happened, and through a series of phone calls, was able to arrange for a private jet and a doctor to fly me to a hospital back home, only 18 hours after the accident. This came with a price tag of $34,000. But my sister's friend lent us $16,000 dollars and an anonymous person on the cruise ship paid another $18,000. We never found out who it was. During my four months in the hospital, I got to know Jesus. Another family friend attended a church in Brooklyn, and the people there started visiting and praying for me. They told me all about Jesus and His love for us. Eventually, I re-learned how to breathe without a breathing machine and recovered from pneumonia and a high fever. Today, I can sit up without passing out, something… Read More

November 10, 2017
Loss Of Loved One Other Overcoming Obstacles
FORGIVENESS

I hate drugs and the horrible toll they take on people. They are truly a demonic force and cause nothing but heartache. We lost our 20-year-old daughter, Ashlynn, when she was given a lethal dose of fentanyl. She was a beautiful girl who loved the Lord. She was a great student and a high school cheerleader, but then she started experimenting with drugs. She began hanging around a different group of friends, her grades plummeted and she would show some concerning mood swings. It was a nightmare for everyone. We got her into a rehab program and after some time, we thought she had turned a corner. But her struggles continued. She was in and out of rehab. Then, we discovered she was hooked on heroin. One night in January 2016, she thought she bought some heroin, but her drug dealer gave her fentanyl instead. We grieve our loss and miss her beyond words can express. But we know she went to be with the Lord and was instantly healed and freed from her pain. The drug dealer who sold her the lethal dose had been previously convicted nine times. On this occasion, he was sentenced to 20 years without parole. We talked as a family before his trial, and determined we did not want him to hold us in bondage. We knew that Christ died for him, just like He did for you and for me. He is no less of a person in God's eyes than the rest of us. So at his trial, we gave him a letter saying we had forgiven… Read More

November 7, 2017
Church Activities Mission Work Unique Ministries
GOING WHEREVER GOD OPENS DOORS

Rome, Georgia is like most mid-sized towns in the Bible Belt with a church on nearly every corner. But many people may never enter the doors of a church. Since they are staying away, they are not hearing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Broken lives are everywhere. Drug abuse and alcoholism are rampant. If people aren’t coming, why not go to them? So we started the Community Church Ministry where we take the church into neighborhoods. Several years ago, I dreamed I was in a large house, and many people were there. The house had several different rooms. In the dream, I went from room to room to minister to the people. I had the dream at least two times, so I believe it was of God. So in 2011, I purchased a 1969 trailer, not knowing if we could make it work. But with a lot of prayer and many volunteers, we got it working, and started having meetings at a local mobile home park that included a message, dinner and music. That year also included an Easter egg hunt, a fall festival and a Christmas play. Soon, the ministry grew to include 10 neighborhoods. The concept is simple. We go to where people live, feed them, love them, and share God's love. Many of the people reached by this ministry may never enter the doors of a church. I have seen God work in this. A few years ago at one trailer park, we met in a small room next to the laundromat. I walked… Read More

October 31, 2017
Overcoming Obstacles Prayer Verbalizing the Gospel
SHARING GOD’S LOVE IN RUSSIA

The year I entered acting college in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, I began to grow seriously depressed. I did not know the Lord then. I had always wondered what the meaning of my life was, why I was here. Now, I was facing daily criticism from my instructors, grieving over my grandmother’s death. I frequently went home crying. One day, a Christian evangelism group organized a church service at our school's theatre hall. Who were these people? Why did they seem to have so much purpose and love? Then, they left and I went back to my daily struggle, and the pain that followed me wherever I went. One day, I went to the pharmacy with a story about needing sleeping pills. I went home and took an overdose. I woke up four days later in the hospital. During my recovery, I remembered I had gotten a phone number from one of those people who had spoken about God and saved it in my wallet. I called her. She was a pastor at a small church. When I called, a whole group came to visit me and when they prayed, the pain went away. I felt so much lighter. I started reading the Bible and my life started changing. I now realize the fact that I could have taken so many pills and survived was the grace of God. That was 25 years ago and Russia has changed a lot. They no longer allow Christians to evangelize in secular colleges. I’ve been through a lot of struggles since but God always… Read More

October 23, 2017
Children Financial Help Loving Your Neighbor
HELPING THE HURRICANE VICTIMS

I was still reeling from the loss of my baby when Hurricane Katrina stormed New Orleans. As I watched the coverage, my mind immediately went to the mothers. How were these mothers going to take care of their babies when their homes were flooded and they were being bused to auditoriums? I felt moved to go to Sam’s and pick up some big boxes of diapers. Taking diapers seemed like a simple thing, but diapers were needed. And, helping these mothers ministered to my hurting momma heart. So, when my home town of Baton Rouge experienced catastrophic flooding in August 2016, my mind again went to the mothers. Entire parishes were underwater and had to be gutted. Believing that we are called to be His hands and feet, I wanted to do what I could. I created an Amazon wish list for baby items such as diapers, wipes and formula to be shipped to my home address. It took me less than twenty minutes to create the list and post it to social media. In the days that followed, we received box after box from Amazon from friends and strangers across the country who donated from the list. My kids also helped by sorting through the boxes. It was an easy way to show my kids they are called to be His hands and feet, too. When Hurricane Harvey led to massive flooding in Houston, I felt led to do the same thing. I contacted a friend who is a school principal in Houston and asked if we could set up an Amazon… Read More

October 17, 2017

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 38

Church Activities 60

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 40

Loving Your Neighbor 67

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 119

Prison Ministry 12

Senior Citizens 22

Special Needs 47

Unique Ministries 170

Verbalizing the Gospel 77

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