Stories - Page 65 of 89 - 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 Loving Your Neighbor Mission Work Unique Ministries
LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

It is not very often that one can drive down a street and see tangible results of their volunteer work. But this is a gift I receive by volunteering with Christmas In Action - Spartanburg, a small nonprofit that aids the elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners in our county with free home repairs. "Love your neighbor as yourself," (Matthew 22:39) is one of my favorite verses and words that I strive to live by each day. My husband and I were familiar with the great work of the Christmas in Action chapters around the country, and we started a Spartanburg chapter when we moved here in 1997. With support of my family and church, I have had the opportunity to share God's grace with hundreds of fellow neighbors that simply need a hand-up and not a handout. As a local realtor, I understand how a home impacts a person's psyche and typically, impoverished homeowners go without; living in homes with leaking roofs, electrical problems that can trigger a fire, rotting floors, or insect and rodent infestation. Like the mold in the house, these problems spread, affecting the health and well-being of the homeowner as well as the community at large. For over twenty years, this is how I have been able to share God's message with those who need it most. One of homeowners that touched my heart the most was a single elderly woman who did not have access to hot water. Our volunteer team installed a new hot water heater and purchased new towels, washcloths and shower curtain for her first hot shower in her home. The tears that streamed down her face when… Read More

July 24, 2018
Children Church Activities Mentoring
WORKING WITH THE YOUTH MINISTRY

The teenage years are crucial for a child, so when our older daughter was joining the church's youth group, we decided to become youth leaders. We planned to continue until our younger daughter graduated from high school. We just wanted to know their friends, their parents, and be involved in their lives. We had no idea that from the moment we started volunteering as youth leaders what that would mean for the rest of our lives. Both our girls have finished college and moved out. But we are still at the youth group every Wednesday. We're at every lock in, convention, concert, and a lot of their sporting events. We didn't realize that by just wanting to spend time with our daughters, we would find our calling: working with the youth. We're grandparents now and thought the kids would no longer want us to be around. But when we mentioned retiring from youth ministry, kids started coming up to us, asking us to wait until they had graduated from high school. Many of these kids come from difficult homes. They haven't seen a good marriage. Many have no male role model in their lives. For many of them, we are their consistent adult relationship. And so, we continue to pour into these young lives. We go to their ball games, listen as they share their difficulties, help them with their school work, pray with them, and really just love them. Although we only have two biological daughters, each of these kids are our own. They are a part of our family.… Read More

July 23, 2018
Children Mentoring Overcoming Obstacles
RAISING MY GRANDDAUGHTERS

I received an alarming call in early 2010. "Momma, please take care of my girls. I can't do this anymore!" My daughter was in a relationship that led her down a very destructive path. In short, she ended up losing her children and spending the next several years in and out of the drug world. She begged me to keep her girls and I agreed. Thus began an incredible calling. What was supposed to be a few months turned into years. I received full custody of my granddaughters and stayed in constant prayer for my daughter. I prayed over my granddaughters and taught them to pray as well. I spoke life over them and encouraged them to dream big, forgive daily, and always put God first. Now at ages 15 and 20, my granddaughters are shaping up to be amazing, intelligent, beautiful women of God. Every day, I see more of how God has taken someone like me and has used me exactly the way I wanted to be used. I can't imagine where my granddaughters would be today. Would they have followed the same path as their mother? I don't know. What I do know is God works all things for His good. My daughter is now clean and focused on building a sustainable life for herself. She speaks to her girls daily, and they have nothing but love and forgiveness toward her. God worked through me to love, help, and make a difference in these girls' lives. I've always wanted God to use me in a mighty way. I wanted to make a difference, and be… Read More

July 19, 2018
Labor Prayer Unique Ministries Verbalizing the Gospel
PRAYING WITH DEVASTATED PATIENTS

I became a certified x-ray technician when I was 18 years old so I could pay my way through Bible school. I had no idea it would become a large part of my ministry to the community. And I certainly had no intention of continuing in the field for almost 50 years. But the Lord places us in the exact place He needs us to be used for His purposes. After graduating from Bible school and marrying my husband, a local pastor, I moved from general x-ray to becoming a mammogram technician. Those first few weeks were a bit nerve wracking and strange as I helped woman after woman with this machine. It was during these initial weeks that I discovered the Lord had more in store for my job than just a paycheck. He first impressed upon me to write down the names of the women who were about to receive the worst news of their lives, and pray for them during my devotional time. As I continued in obedience, that led to some interesting divine opportunities where I was able to pray with my patients. As the Lord continued working in my heart, I discovered I had a boldness within me I didn't know existed. And through this boldness, I began asking every patient if I could pray with her. I never received a negative response. In fact, over the years, I have been able to minister to thousands of women and share about the love of Jesus with each of them. It has been a wonderful time working for the Lord… Read More

July 14, 2018
Labor Unique Ministries
PRETTY AND PRICELESS

For so long in Ghana, women were not treated equally. A decade ago, most girls here were not allowed to go to school because it was believed that only men were supposed to be educated---they were the bread winners. But that has now changed, and the pendulum has swung. Maybe too far. Women now have equal rights, but many of them do not respect men. They almost treat men as useless. I call it "extreme feminism." I felt led to do something about this, and correct these misperceptions. I founded an organization called Pretty and Priceless a year ago. It is a Christian foundation that seeks to coach, mentor and inspire girls in the light of God's word, teaching them that everything they do must have eternal value but respect the men in their lives. We study the Word of God. We educate by outreaches, social media, pamphlets and other Christian materials. We also have a prayer network for women called GLOW---Godly Ladies of Worth. The prayer network meets on the last Friday of every month to pray with young ladies all around Ghana. The well-being of women is our concern. Our aim is to give faith to the faithless lady, hope to the hopeless lady and help to the helpless. Our motto is Raising Beacons of Hope. It is my prayer that Pretty and Priceless will continue to empower young women in a positive direction, while making a long lasting and deep impression in their hearts with the word of God.

July 13, 2018
Church Activities Loving Your Neighbor Prayer Unique Ministries
MEETING THEIR BASIC NEEDS

People often think about meeting others' needs when it comes to housing, food, and clothing. But, people tend to forget about other basic needs, such as the ability to do laundry. Coming from a social worker background, I spent time working with families in low income communities where I saw how people struggled to clean their clothes each week, or how many children who have aged out of foster care don't know how to wash clothes. So, when someone in my church's ladies group mentioned a laundry ministry in nearby Knoxville, I thought it was something I'd like to be involved in. In August 2016, our group from First Christian Church started the Rogersville Laundry Ministry, which provides everything but the dirty laundry! We started doing it one night a month for two hours. The people bring their dirty laundry, and we pay for the machines and provide all the laundry supplies. In the beginning, it was rather slow. However, once another church joined us, the ministry just ballooned! More community volunteers have joined us, and we have expanded to two separate locations one night a week. We had one evening in September 2017 where we provided clean laundry for 78 people. We begin and end each evening of washing with a prayer. But, in the meantime, we just spend time with the people. We have a sign-in that asks if they have prayer requests, and the guests know we will pray for them that evening, or take their prayer requests to the church's prayer team. The Lord has blessed the ministry, and it is… Read More

July 9, 2018

Browse all categories

Adoption/Foster Care 39

Church Activities 61

Financial Help 18

Loss Of Loved One 48

Loving Your Neighbor 69

Mission Work 52

Overcoming Obstacles 137

Prison Ministry 13

Senior Citizens 23

Special Needs 49

Unique Ministries 176

Verbalizing the Gospel 80

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