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?
  • Children Church Activities Senior Citizens

    HELPING KIDS LEARN ABOUT JESUS

    At 76, I’m old now, but I’m still perkin’. I’m an extrovert, and I love to welcome people and make them feel at home at church. I’m trying to live a good life and find avenues where I can have an effect. I consider myself a back-slappin’, hand-shakin’, hand-clappin’ kind of guy; a Barnabus. I can build people up, encourage them, and be a friend. I’m a creature of the 50s and 60s where most of my ministry is now, but I taught school and coached for 37 years, so I also love the kids. As I’ve gotten older, what worries me is that it seems the church is losing the youth, so after I retired from teaching middle school, I continued to substitute. I love to communicate with people of all ages, so to stay connected to the teens, I created a collection of what I call, “Substitute Raps.” The kids loved them, and they even made their way around social media. Not long ago, however, I realized that the only age level of kids I hadn’t really tried to influence were the primary school ones. That changed when I started going with my son to the Goodwill store. While he browsed for relics, I made my way over to the book section. That’s when I noticed all of the young children’s Bibles, Bible story books, and Christian literature. I knew exactly what I could do. Each time we went, I bought all the books that were in good shape and took them to the Sunday school teacher at church who taught… Read More

  • Labor Mentoring

    LEADING WITH A HEART FOR GOD

    As the Principal of a public elementary school, Zac Bauermaster’s job is to inspire and empower his teachers, support staff, families, and—most importantly— the next generation every single day. God has given us all gifts, talents and abilities. Zac feels it’s up to him to make sure his staff and teachers use their gifts to bring out the best in their students. Zac’s approach to being a Principal was really shaped when he and his wife walked their oldest daughter to the bus stop for her first day of kindergarten. “Her backpack was bigger than she was. I cried walking home with my wife, and I remember thinking, ‘we are sending the school our very best; we need our school to give her their very best.’” In order to do this in his elementary school, it’s his calling to create an encouraging school environment where adults want to work, kids are excited to learn, and families trust and are proud to send their children. He wants kids to be excited to be at school. He wants them to know him and see that he cares. Between classes, you'll usually find Zac giving high fives and fist bumping students. He feels that the hallways in his school are for relationship building. But Zac is not just a rah-rah guy. He likes to go deep with people. He wants them to know that he’s walking alongside them. The primary way he does this is by trying to reflect Jesus in how he lives and leads. “I love Jesus,” says Zac. “I was fortunate to grow up in a home where my… Read More

  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles

    ECHOES OF AN ANCHOR

    My mother was always my anchor. She was my safe place where I never felt judged, and I could let it out and still be loved. Her death two years ago left my world in shambles. She did her best to raise her boys to be good men, teaching us love, kindness and a work ethic. Through the years, my mother became my best friend; the one I could turn to for anything, who knew just what to say, when to listen, and when to set me straight. I will never forget that call; my mother was gone. Falling into a sea of despair, blaming God for everything. Attempting to cope with her death and my personal affairs, I turned to alcohol. It slowly became a problem. As new parents, my wife and I were already struggling in our relationship, trying to figure out this new life. Alcohol added to our struggle, leading her to lash out, and I closed myself off. I came home one evening after getting my “usual”, and woke up in a puddle of blood. My wife was on the phone getting help, my son was sitting there looking at me, and later I found out he was the one who witnessed it all. That was it, I had to change. My family needed me, and I was letting them down. Recovery would be slow, but I went to counseling. After my feelings had settled, I began attending church with my family. I realized my path was not one my mother would approve of. Attending church allows me to feel close… Read More

  • Recovery Verbalizing the Gospel

    GOD HEARD ME

    Life happens. Relationships splinter, finances are squeezed, and pressures mount. For me, this meant consuming large amounts of alcohol. It was my valve for releasing pressure and granting momentary relief. Yet, as any addict will confess, there was never enough to fill the void. I realized I was not being true to myself, so I stumbled into AA and dedicated four years to going nearly every day. The meetings often discussed the “big book,” which outlined principles for defeating addiction. While it helped me stay sober, the emptiness remained. The “big book” reminded me of another book I’d read as a child—a book that reveals the “way, the truth, and the life.” Finding Christ again through the Bible, the “bigger book” as I now call it, has filled my heart with contentment like never before. God comes first in my life. I don’t hide my faith from employees, nor am I shy to discuss it with strangers. I participate in a men’s Bible study and close my emails with “God bless.” Since my sobriety, God has blessed me with a wife and two kids, relationships that I cannot imagine flourishing without Christ at the center. Life still happens. Relationships need care, finances require attention, and pressures still arise. But the difference now is what or who I turn to. Today, I know the Lord does wonders for the faithful. Today, I believe that when I call upon Him, He hears me. Life will happen to you, too. When it does, I pray my simple story leads you away from the bottle or other temporary fixes… Read More

  • Overcoming Obstacles

    HONORING MY MOTHER

    As spring began to bloom in 2025, life felt steady—new job, another birthday, fresh beginnings. But one phone call from my mom in April changed everything: “I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer.” The words felt distant, almost unreal. The joy I had felt about my new job faded, replaced by a single thought: I needed to be with her. I was grateful the doctors had caught the cancer early, yet my mind kept returning to the statistics: each year, millions of women face this diagnosis. Women under 40 are affected, too. I was still too young for a mammogram, but the thought lingered. On the phone that day, my mom told me she had skipped her mammogram in 2023. The following year, while getting out of the bathtub, she felt a painful lump in her chest. She prayed it was nothing serious. Weeks later, the doctor confirmed it: stage one breast cancer. When she got home that day, she stood in the middle of her living room. Letters she had written to herself covered the walls, and photos of her children sat on the end table. She cried out to God. “Help me, Lord,” she yelled, while K-LOVE played softly in the background. For me, living halfway across the country in Louisiana—a place I had taken a job years ago but no longer felt connected to—the news was a turning point. I already had my own life challenges. How could I support her from so far away? Virtual appointments helped, but they couldn’t replace being there in person. Perhaps God was calling me home. Later… Read More

  • Loss Of Loved One Overcoming Obstacles Recovery

    I AM REDEEMED

    I was born into what looked like a solid, God-fearing home—two parents, three brothers, and church multiple times a week. My dad sometimes preached, and my mom led the nursery and sang in the choir. But behind closed doors, life was very different. My dad, who spoke of God, was also my abuser. He manipulated and confused me, framing the abuse as love. That trauma shaped my identity. I craved love, even in broken forms. By 15, I had been abused by five different men and became pregnant with my first son, Damian. I loved him deeply, but inside, I was unraveling. I battled eating disorders, used diet pills, and turned to drugs. Though I tried to build a future—enrolling in college for special education and psychology—addiction pulled me under. In my early twenties, I met the father of my two youngest kids. I became pregnant with Cavin and dropped out of college. Both of us spiraled into heroin addiction. I stayed clean long enough to deliver Cavin safely, but relapsed soon after. When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Raylee, I considered abortion. But God intervened, protected her, and gave me another chance. Amid chaos, God placed people—my mom, church families—around me to help. Justin, my children’s father, found Christ during rehab, a moment I still hold dear. After several failed recoveries, I finally gained traction and stayed clean for over a year. Then, in 2016, Justin died of an overdose. That loss sealed my resolve to never go back. I committed to staying single for a year, which became… Read More

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