My name is Tammi Stepney, and I live in the USA. I am interested in personal development, a deeper study of the Word, and ministry in general. I am an ordained administrator and teacher and volunteer in those areas of my church. However, God has given me a desire to become a minister. Therefore, I am focusing on taking these Bible classes online and getting more traditional ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
My Spiritual Journey
Although I knew of God and the church, my family did not attend. It wasn’t until high school that I started attending church. After a few visits, I gave my life to Christ. Although I paid attention and learned lots of things, my focus was not on Jesus. During those years, the church was an escape and a safe place for me. I spent all the time I could there. On Sunday, I went to two services, midweek Bible study, choir rehearsals, and volunteered to teach Vacation Bible School and do nursery work. Whatever I could do to be in church, I did it, and I remained there until college.
During and after college, church and any relationship with Christ on my end were barely existing. I tried many times to go back and dedicate myself. However, I would end up back living a sin-filled life. One day, I told God that it just wasn’t working. I kept trying to get it right but kept failing. In my simplistic understanding at the time, I told God that it must not be my time, so when He was ready for me to let me know. It’s funny every time I think back on it. As if God doesn’t want us at any time to love and follow Him.
God’s Call
On May 9, 2001, my friend in the ministry called and told me that the Lord said, “Now is the time.” I couldn’t believe it! She used my words! I had never told that story to anyone. I cried and had no words. She invited me to church that Sunday. It happened to be Mother’s Day.
I always admired the women leaders in the church when I regularly attended and said that if I ever got it right, I wanted to be like them. How fitting that God chose this day! Of course, the message that day was about the women in the church, their role, and posture. I sat and cried the entire service. So much so that when the Pastor made the altar call, he had to come to me! I gave my life to Christ that day, joined the church, and been in Christ and that church ever since.
Studying at CLI to Get Positioned to Serve
A few months after joining and attending classes, I became the church administrator. I have taken ministry classes, become an ordained teacher, done evangelism, helped restructure the church, and so much more. Over the years, I married, had children, and supported my husband in his ordination and service as a Pastor in our church. I gradually became more focused on doing the work of the ministry than my relationship with Christ. Not that I lost it as in times past. It was not being developed as I would expect for someone with 20 years in ministry and a Pastor’s wife.
Now I am prioritizing my time and spending more time redeveloping my personal walk with God. Taking these Bible classes online at CLI and spending more time in the Word will definitely assist me in this area. Further, I know the Lord is calling me to more. Therefore, I am preparing myself to be ready when that time comes.
My name is Joshua McLean. Born on the east coast of Australia near Sydney, when I was 6, I moved to Dubbo in New South Wales. It is a 5-hour drive west of Sydney. Currently, I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute for a deeper relationship with God and a strong Biblical foundation (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here).
My Early Years
I grew up in a “Christian” home. We went to church and prayed at mealtimes and had a home group. However, my family didn’t really embrace the Christian walk. There was always a gap between their hearts and God. I went to an independent Christian school and had a great foundation for understanding the Word and its meaning. However, I had no connection to God and a minimal connection to my parents.
When I was a teenager, I began displaying some connection-seeking behavior. I would do ANYTHING to feel connected to people. This included drinking alcohol, chasing girls, property damage, getting into fights, playing up at school and home. I also became addicted to pornography. These behaviors lasted from when I was about 14 until just after my 18th birthday.
Over these 4 years, I still went to church and youth group, but my soul drifted away. Eventually, I was only there physically. For a few months, in the end, I had completely stopped attending church and youth group. Things were quite disastrous.
Rock Bottom
One Friday night, I remember challenging a friend to drink a whole carton of beer between us. It didn’t take long before I was incoherent and couldn’t walk. I went to my friend’s girlfriend’s bed and passed out. The next thing I knew was my friend standing over me. He had his hand in my mouth, trying to clear my airways as I had been choking on my own vomit. He saved my life.
It was at this moment I realized I was at rock bottom and had almost died there. So, I decided to go back to church and the youth group. However, when I turned up at the youth group, the youth pastor came and turned me away. He said he knew what I had been up to, and they didn’t want me influencing anyone there.
Changes in My Life
Then, I started my first full-time job looking after people with disabilities. I met a beautiful woman who also worked there. We began to connect and agreed to keep things professional to start with and see where it went. Eventually, she invited me to her church, a Pentecostal church in my town. It was a young congregation and had a few people I knew. As soon as I walked in the doors, I knew I was home.
It started a renewed, deeper relationship with God, one where I was walking WITH Him. I dedicated my life to God and got connected in a group of similar-aged men. There I learned more about WHO God is and how much He loves us.
Soon after that, I began to help at the youth group as I am passionate about kids and teens. I was then appointed a leader at the youth group. Also, I led a small group for teenage boys where we studied the Bible, ate a lot of food, and played rough games.
The woman from work and I started dating. Two years later, we got engaged and then married soon after. We began a beautiful life together and now have three beautiful daughters and a cat.
More Ministry Service
Eventually, I became the assistant youth pastor. A year later, I became the youth pastor with my wife by my side. We ran several regional camps, and I became a regular preacher at church. Also, other churches and camps asked me to be a guest speaker. My wife and I also served on the church eldership for two years, leading the church’s spiritual development with four other couples and the pastors.
Challenges and Finding CLI
Then, my past trauma and lack of connection caught up with me. My mental health deteriorated significantly, leading me to step down from all church-related activities to focus on my mental health, marriage, children, and job. I worked in child protection – investigating allegations of sexual abuse and supporting families through it. I even put my relationship with God on hold for a short time. However, I decided to refocus my life on the Lord recently. This focus led to me studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to develop a deeper relationship with God my Father in Heaven.
Currently, my state is in lockdown, and I have had plenty of time to think and be alone with my thoughts. However, I frequently think of the verse: “Be still and know I am God.” It always reminds me that I can always be too busy to live and remember the important things.
My life is on its way up, and I have much hope and excitement for what God has planned for my future. I am just focusing now on the “basics” and enjoying every moment of it.
I am Debra Herzog from the USA, and I am studying Bible classes free online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about Bible classes free online, Click Here).
My life has been full of challenges and rewards. I became a Christian when I was in High School. So, I was blessed to walk with God and be filled with the Holy Spirit since asking Jesus into my heart. The process of being conformed to His image makes an interesting and miraculous life. There have been plenty of tears, but I have come from the tunnel of tears into the meadow of joy! I am the happiest woman on earth! There may be some who are as happy as I am, but no one can be happier. God has truly delivered, healed, and blessed me.
My Journey to Joy in the Lord
Even though I have been a Christian for a long time, it has also taken a long time for me to rid myself of suspicions and doubts about God. This was the root of all my problems of the past, and probably the root of many people’s issues. Not knowing God is truly good in the depths of our souls can make for bad decisions and mindsets until we finally “get it.”
As I look back over my Christian walk, I think, “If I had only known.” If I had only known how Good He Is. If I had only known how Kind and Attentive He Is! If I had only known how Sensitive and Caring He is, I would not have made my life as rocky as it has been, while confessing I loved Him with all my heart.
Walking in the Joy of the Lord
Love requires trust. Coming from an abusive upbringing, I seemed to attract abusive people. It took a long time for God to get through to me and show me how obedience and trust would bring me joy. Now that I have been living this blessed life for years, I want to share the simple way to get there with others. I only wish I had embarked upon it earlier, but trust requires experience. Through experience, hope, and faith, I now believe in the goodness of God to the core of my being. Walking in that has changed my life and brought real miracles, consistent miracles which go from glory to glory.
Ministry and Bible Classes Free Online at CLI
After decades of being a Christian, I am living the life God wants me to have. It seems easy now. However, the process of getting here has been challenging and heartbreaking at times. I continue to grow in Jesus and face new challenges, but they are easier and easier to deal with now that I know the secret: God is good!
I want to share the joy of the Lord with others and help them know how much God truly loves them. So I wanted ministry training to prepare for this calling from God. The ministry and Bible classes free online at the Christian Leaders Institute are a blessing for me. They will equip me so I can serve the Lord confidently and competently. Thank you, CLI!