From Lost life to Big Calling
My name is Rebecca Egly, and I am from Texas, USA. I am excited about the Bible study opportunity at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
I grew up around here in Texas, and there is no shortage of churches. The locals always boasted that the city nearby has the most churches per capita in Texas. It has the largest number of churches per capita in the entire country. Bible Belt, indeed. Having said that, I had a difficult, if not well-rounded, experience with churches.
My Story
In my youth, my father and stepmother took us to a Baptist church. My maternal grandparents took us to a Methodist church. While my paternal grandparents took us to the Church of Christ, my aunt took us to a Pentecostal church. I always enjoyed going to church. However, I was never shown or taught HOW to have a personal relationship with the LORD. I had a lot of confusing and conflicting examples of what a true Christian looks like.
I grew up in an abusive household. It confused me how a person could be so wholesome, giving, and kind on Sundays and Wednesdays, yet so very cold and calloused outside of service hours. My eighth birthday gift was a broken cheekbone. We attended a church in Joshua, TX. In 1999, a couple of weeks after a church Super Bowl party (that ended in me being knocked out by a cordless phone), I was “saved” and baptized at twelve years old. I did it because my abuser told me to.
Right before I turned 15, I moved in with my mother, and started going to the church she grew up in. I discovered a community. I discovered friends. What I did not discover was Jesus. I tried to commit suicide at 16, we swept it under a rug. I grew up, went to college, and made all the stereotypical bad decisions young adults make.
Spiritual Warfare Struggles
One night, in a moment of clarity, I decided once and for all that I would clean up my life and start living for God. The attack from the enemy was sudden and soul-crushing. I was physically attacked in my dorm room that night. I reported the incident to the police, went to the hospital, and had tests run. However, nothing happened— I had to see my attacker every day until I dropped out two months later.
A year and a half later, in 2009, my daughter was born. One year and two weeks after that, my son was born. I was engaged to their father, but we never married. My broken mind said we could have kids together, but I wouldn’t marry someone who was always unfaithful and as abusive as any other “meaningful” relationship I’d had. We were two very broken people trying to play house in a broken way.
We went to the church he knew, which was Catholic. My kids were both baptized in the Catholic church. I went through Catechism before I realized I was acting out more rituals than I was committing to any sort of faith. I had a gnostic belief in God at this point. However, I never took a Bible study opportunity at this time.
In 2013, I gained the courage to leave the abusive relationship I had with him. I came back to Texas after having lived in Iowa, isolated from everyone and everything I knew for two years. However, coming home wasn’t what I’d thought. I was still traumatized and felt alone. Further, I was trying to raise two very young children and work a full-time plus job without any help.
First Encounter with God
It took its toll. In 2014, I tried, again, to commit suicide. This is where I met the power of God, and also where I had my first encounter with the work of God. My best friend, who had passed away in early 2012, came to me while I watched my lifeless body on the stretcher in the emergency room. He told me I had to go back, that it wasn’t my time, and that there were bigger plans than I could see. I, of course, argued. Turns out I had been dead for 7 minutes.
Second Encounter with God
Two weeks later, as a patient in a psychiatric facility, one of the behavioral techs was talking to us about struggles and God’s presence and grace. I said, “God doesn’t see me anymore, and if He does, He thinks I’m a lost cause.” He gave me his Bible, and told me, “I’ll make you a deal. If you sit quietly in your room and pray…REALLY pray… ask God if He sees you, to SHOW you in scripture if He sees you, and if He doesn’t show up, I’ll buy you a carton of cigarettes.” I was broken, broke, and thought, “Well, I’ve got nothing else left, and I could use cigarettes.”
So, I did what he asked, prayed over the Bible, and opened it. The passage I saw was Psalm 139:7-12. You can’t stop God from seeing you, and you can’t stop His plans. It was a Bible study opportunity for me.
After some intensive therapy, trauma therapy, counseling, and the help of some medication for a time, I was the happiest I’ve ever been. However, I felt an absence in my life that I tried to fill with partners, with friends, with the occult. Then, I met my husband, and very quickly, everything made sense.
New Beginnings
In 2018, I became a member of the church he was attending, and I was truly saved and baptized in 2019. We both felt the call to minister. I felt the call to witness to other survivors. As soon as we had a plan and set a wedding date, the enemy set to work again. My husband came under a very deep and long-lasting spiritual warfare, and I was dealing with the death of my #1 mentor and supporter, my grandfather.
Through his warfare and my grief, I prayed. I went to church. Then, I prayed some more. I never lost faith that my God would carry us through this so we could emerge on the other side, stronger and more faithful than ever.
We married in 2021. We found a spiritual home at Old School Ministries. The Holy Spirit ignited us and revealed some of our spiritual gifts. Praise God! I have started the process of bringing my children back to Christ. My husband, my best friend, her husband, and I started a weekly Bible study. I read my Bible for hours each day. Often, God directs me on what lesson, devotional, or sermon to write, and I share them with a group of women from the church as they’re written.
Bible Study Opportunity at CLI
I love the love that the LORD has given me, I love that the void that I felt for 31 years of my life is finally gone. God has exciting things in store for my life. I have realized that His plans for me must be pretty big if the enemy had to try so hard to break me for so long. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13.
However, I also know I need Bible and ministry understanding to prepare for my ministry calling from God. I found the Christian Leaders Institute and am grateful for this Bible and ministry study opportunity.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here
Obeying the Great Commission
My name is Stephen Thuku from Kenya. I am 52 years old and married to my wife, Jennifer Mugure. Further, I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to grow in biblical and ministry knowledge (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
Childhood and Education
I grew up in the capital city of Kenya, known as Nairobi. I am the fourth born in a family of seven siblings, and we all grew up in a strictly Catholic upbringing. As the fourth born in a family whose parents were of middle income meant that I had to sacrifice lots of things. Education was one of those things. I allowed my younger siblings to complete college before me. Therefore, I dropped out of high school due to poverty. However, I later went back to school in my old age and got a high school certificate. I enrolled in online biblical studies and graduated with an AA in biblical studies degree in 2009 from Christian Leadership University in Monroe, Louisiana.
Salvation & Ministry
I gave my life to the Lord 26 years ago at the same church where my wife and I serve. We serve as missionaries, pastors, and church planters. Together, my wife and I have also planted several churches along the coastal cities of Kenya. We are also training other leaders to reach out to the unreached people groups of our nation and region.
Biblical and Ministry Knowledge at CLI
My spiritual dream is to see the unreached people groups in my country and the world reached by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do that by reaching one soul, one community, one village, and one nation at a time. Therefore, it is my dream to share with many others who need training in ministry about the Christian Leaders Institute. The tuition-free Bible and ministry courses have helped me grow in my biblical and ministry knowledge.
May God bless CLI for the good work of raising quality Christian Leaders in ministry.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here
My Journey from Sin to Salvation to Surrender to Study of the Bible and Ministry
My name is Ivy Rassart, and this is my journey from sin to salvation to my complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and now have a homestead in Dallas, Georgia, with my husband, two children, best friend, her husband, her mother-in-law, her two children, three dogs, seven cats, and five chickens. I also study the Bible and ministry topics online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
Growing Up Godless
I have very few memories of my younger years. I grew up in a typical suburban home with my parents and two sisters (one older sister and a twin sister). As for where my family stood spiritually, it was common to what you may see today. Both of my parents went to church as children. However, I never knew much about their experiences. All I knew growing up was my mom was agnostic, and my dad, though growing up Baptist, never spoke much about religion. He wanted to give us the option to choose for ourselves. I remember being given the option as a young child to go to church or watch Sunday morning cartoons. Pretty sure you can guess what my sisters and I chose.
One part of my growing up was the multitudes of weekends spent watching horror movies. My sisters and I went to Blockbuster every weekend to rent the next batch of scary movies. At some point, my older sister introduced us to the Ouija board. Before she was out of high school, she became a witch (Wiccan). Shortly after high school, I began my journey into the spiritual. However, not being raised religiously, I went down the New Age path. It was around the same time my twin began introducing me to psychics and tarot cards.
My Future Husband
I began working in the pharmaceutical industry at the age of 19. In my early twenties, my boss sent me to run a global project from Waterloo, Belgium. I was excited about the new experience but had no idea what God had in store for me. The first week I was there, some new friends invited me to go out with them one evening. Though I was lacking in my French speaking skills, some of them knew some English, so I tagged along.
That was the night I met my husband of nineteen years. I spoke no French. He spoke no English. It was quite an interesting experience. As we were leaving a crowded place, he grabbed my hand. I heard a voice clear as day say, “This is the father of your children.” Even though I was not a Christian, I knew this was God speaking. At that moment, I knew this was the person I would spend the rest of my life with, no matter what was in store for us. Four months later, we married and went back to the United States.
Trauma, Torment, and Terror
Within two weeks of returning to America, my husband’s mother passed away at the age of 51. She had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a couple of years; however, her death did come unexpectedly and was heartbreaking. Thankfully, a nice change came with the birth of our first child, a beautiful daughter. Around the time she was about six months old, my life began to really change.
The first experience I remember vividly was sleeping one evening with the lights on while my husband was on the porch talking on the phone to his sister. I was suddenly awakened when two entities grabbed me by my feet and almost pulled me entirely off the bed. This was my first real-life experience with the paranormal. The evenings became more and more difficult for me as my nights were filled with torment. It did not happen every night initially but progressively increased over time until it was constant. That gradually led me to drink so I could sleep through the night.
My evenings and naps consisted of nightmares, sleep paralysis, and feeling like I was being electrocuted and worse. I would wake up with intense jaw pain from clenching all night and even physical scars. I knew my demons were attacking me, but I had no idea what to do. To my relief, my husband believed me, so we spent the next 15+ years seeking a solution. With no active Christians in my life, I relied on the internet, which led me down more New Age stuff. We never thought to study the Bible and ministry.
From Dark to Light
Around the time of Covid, things began to get more difficult. Not only were we adjusting to the Covid madness and all the political division, but my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I was spiraling deeper and deeper into darkness. After a horrible night and at the end of my rope, my husband told me that maybe I needed to talk to God or Jesus.
So the next night, I went into my bedroom, closed the door, and got on my knees before the trunk at the end of my bed. Tears of guilt and shame poured out of me. Bawling my eyes out, I cried out desperately, “Jesus, if you are really real, please help me! Please! I will do whatever you ask me to do. Anything! I will do whatever you tell me to do for the rest of my life! Just please help me!”
Almost immediately, a bright, white light appeared on the right side of my bed. I knew instantly it was Jesus. He wore a white robe and glowed so brightly I couldn’t see his face. Without a word spoken, He reached his right hand out to me. I grabbed His hand, stood up, and He pulled me to Him, embracing me in His arms. As I cried like a baby into His chest, it felt like all my worries, all my problems, every bit of darkness was lifted off me. The love emanating from Him was so intense and powerful. No words can ever describe it. He let me know, “Everything was going to be fine. You are mine now.” While this was happening, I had no concept of time. The last thing I remember is crawling into bed and having the most peaceful night of sleep ever.
Overnight Christian
The next morning when I awoke, I felt like a totally different person, free from alcohol, free from the demons, free from the heaviness. I was no longer in bondage. The chains had been broken, and I was finally set free – a new creation in Christ. It was like I was seeing the world for the first time. The colors of everything around me were amazing and brilliant and more vibrant than ever before in my life. It was like seeing God everywhere I looked and the magnificence of all His creation.
I became an overnight Christian. My husband and children were not far behind me. Before I knew it, we were all Christians and had surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. We have since been through many lessons, trials, and tribulations. We quickly learned all about what being a follower of Christ is and a huge amount about spiritual warfare. Taking care of my mom during the last month of her battle with cancer was probably one of the most painful things to experience. However, Jesus stood by me each step of the way. I learned to fully rely on Him in everything!
Where We Are Now: Study the Bible and Ministry at CLI
The Lord led us to move to Dallas, Georgia, where we are homesteading with my best friend and her family. We found a wonderful church that my family and I volunteer at in the Children’s Ministry. We do family Bible study sessions as well as a weekly prayer group at our home. My life is entirely different from before, but the peace and joy I have now are such a blessing.
Each day I let the Holy Spirit guide me, which led me to Christian Leaders Institute. Now I can study the Bible and ministry topics tuition-free online. I am just getting started, but where the Lord leads, I will follow. Now I look forward to each day with excitement about where my journey will take me.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here