My name Is Darrin Reed, and I am on a Biblical education journey at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I live in Conway, South Carolina, USA. Born in Illinois, I am the youngest of five. Our single mom sometimes worked three jobs to provide for us. I never had a Biblical upbringing and started using drugs and alcohol at a very young age. That got me into a lot of trouble, and I ended up in jail multiple times.
Challenges
At the age of 17, I had two DUI arrests and was sent to a treatment center for alcoholism. I attended a 12-step recovery program and learned about God, whom I didn’t understand. I received Jesus when I was 20 and looked for a church to get married in. A minister came to my home and led me to Christ. The next Sunday, we went to his church and were made so uncomfortable. The message we heard was we weren’t living up to the standards that God or that church demanded of believers. We never crossed the threshold of that church again. I floundered with my relationship with God and struggled to stay sober.
After five years of up and down living and blaming everyone for what was going on in life, including God, I sat in my vehicle one evening. I held a gun to my head, screaming at God that if this was all life had to offer, he could stick it! That night I learned that I was terrified to die, and the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart that I had no clue how to live. Miraculously, someone stole that gun from me two weeks later.
New Direction
I returned to the recovery program with fervor and really wanted to know more about God. I began to live in a way that I could see God working in my life. Little by little, my faith grew. I attended another church and recommitted myself to the Lord. I received a water baptism. However, once again, the church rejected me. When I wanted to become a member, the pastor had a problem with my tithing and smoking. Another church relationship ended badly for me. I continued struggling for years to grow deeper in my understanding of God’s will for my life.
My first marriage ended years earlier, and I was about to get married for the second time. My soon-to-be-wife and I wanted to do it right. We felt God had given us both a second chance. We started attending a church where God’s grace and mercy were poured out on us. The people there loved on us when we couldn’t love ourselves. We both grew in our relationship with Christ and our understanding of His Word.
My Call
On many occasions, people told me that I have a gift to preach. When I gave a eulogy at my stepdad’s funeral, the preacher came up and said, “I can see you in a pulpit someday, Darrin.” Another time, my wife and I were eating in a small restaurant. We sat to eat, prayed, and started to enjoy our meal. A stranger walked up and put his hand on my shoulder, saying, “Boy, you ever thought about preaching?” I responded in awe that I had heard that before. He said, “Don’t miss your calling.” Then he walked out the door.
I was completely broken that day and surrendered everything to God. I said, “Here I am, all of me, do what you want, lead me wherever you want, I just want to serve you, Lord.” Since then, I have grown in my relationship with God and seek to follow Jesus every day.
Beginning My Biblical Education Journey at CLI
I have been a Christian for over 35 years now and have felt the call to full-time ministry for many years. I had the opportunity to serve the Lord in many areas, including full-time ministry for six years with a Bible Translation Ministry. However, I was never able to go on a good Biblical education journey. I am grateful that someone pointed me to the Christian Leaders Institute. Now I am on this Biblical education journey here. Therefore, I will be better equipped for whatever doors the Lord opens in the future. Thanks and God Bless!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Ministry Calling
My name is Camille Jean-Marie Benjamin, and I have recently embarked on a small women’s ministry. I wanted to learn the Bible more deeply and found the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). Residing in London, in the United Kingdom, I have a long-standing career in teaching. I have formal training as a children’s nurse and a science teacher and have studied a Masters I Education. My passion is for empowering children and women. I am married and blessed with four children. I was raised in a Pentecostal church and baptized at the age of fourteen years old. All of my family remain dedicated as Christians, and I have always had a heart for Christ.
My Youth
I enjoyed church from a young age. I loved going to services with my parents and my favorite aunt. The music was always so lively and heartfelt. It moved me. However, as a teen, I wanted to fit in with friends, and my commitment waned slightly. In my early twenties, I reconnected with church friends and never looked back. I embraced every opportunity available in church, from Bible study to summer retreats and camp meetings. I discovered so much more as a young adult about fasting to strengthen my faith and outreach ministry. My love for the Lord and God’s word has continued to grow and has kept me grounded as a person. I aim to let His love shine through all areas of my life. It is a great pleasure to share my many testimonies of God’s greatness with friends and people I meet along life’s way.
My Spiritual Dream
Over twenty years ago, it was prophesied that I would become a Pastor or Christian leader. This is an experience that has happened a few times since, in different churches. I had heard about prophecy but didn’t take much notice and pushed any thoughts about it to the back of my mind. As the years rolled on, I felt a stronger pull to ministry. Now, I embrace the fact that God has a calling on my life. During adulthood, I overcame self-doubt and anxiety related to work, which affected my confidence. I really know Jesus as my personal Savior and my Refuge.
My dream is to develop my small Bible study group into a full women’s ministry that can lead non-believers to Christ. The hope is to continue to grow in faith and as a women’s minister. During the beginning of 2020, when the world halted due to Covid-19, the Lord nudged me to look for a ministry school. God gave me the confidence to use lockdown to learn the Bible more and deepen my understanding of it. Then, He blessed me with the Christian Leaders Institute. I knew I could not afford an expensive course, but I truly believe that when God calls you to an assignment, He will make a way. Thank you, CLI, for being the way that the Lord has made.
May God bless everyone on his or her walk with Him.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Richard Parish, all my friends call me Rick. I am receiving Biblical ministry training at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I live in sunny Southern California in the city of Altadena and have been living in Southern California for the better part of the last 40 years. However, I was born in Massachusetts. My Dad was 20 years old and in the Air Force when he met my Mom. They married and had me. We moved to Ohio when I was 3.
When I was 12 years of age, my Dad’s sister died from a heart attack. I was very close to her, and her death was very upsetting to me. My Dad’s other sister was a devout Christian leader. She gave me counsel and also a Bible. I began to read The Way, a modern translation of the Bible. Kids in my neighborhood invited me to attend a Baptist Church. Within a few months, the church pastor led me to Christ, and I got baptized. I attended church for the next few years in a Methodist Church close to my home.
New Beginnings
When I was 15, my Dad lost his job, and we moved to Colorado for his new job. For the next few years, I studied Martial Arts. When I was 19, I earned my Black Belt in Karate. I opened a school and taught many people. I continued training and competitions. My faith took a backseat as I didn’t realize I needed Biblical ministry training. I didn’t deny God, but just had other interests.
In 1979, I attended College in Chadron, Nebraska. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 1984. I maintained my Karate Studio until 1986. In October of 1986, I decided to move to California. I boarded a plane and landed in Burbank, California, with $300 and my suitcase and many dreams for success. I took a job at a nightclub in Glendale, CA, as a Bouncer/Security. Through a chance meeting, someone introduced me to a Police Officer in the L.A.P.D. He worked on the side as a supervisor for Bodyguards. We hit it off, and he hired me to work for his company.
I worked as a Bodyguard for a famous Movie Producer and his Family. It was glamourous and fast-paced. However, I decided to work a job closer to home in Glendale after several months. I began work in security at a school. Upon the suggestions of a friend, a teacher at the school, I took the CBEST Credential to become a Substitute Teacher. I worked a whole year as a sub and landed a job as a P.E. Teacher in a Catholic School.
Opportunities
I continued there for 4 years as a Teacher and Coach. Then, I left and entered into sales at Guitar Center in Hollywood, where I met my wife. In 1996, we married and lived in Burbank, California, for a couple of years. Our son was born in 1998. We moved to Arizona. My parents were retired there in Tucson. I went into telephone sales and became a top performer at my job.
In 1999, I was introduced to a famous Blues Musician, John Lee Hooker. I had played guitar since I was 7 years old. He asked me to join him, and I toured for nearly 3 years playing alongside him and many famous musicians. I had formed my own Band in 1998. However, with the success of touring alongside a legend, I put that band aside. In 2001, John Lee Hooker died, and I returned to my own band in Tucson, Arizona. We had some success, including recording 3 albums and some commercial success with these recordings.
Changes and Challenges
In 2010, I had been married for 14 years. We had 1 son and 3 daughters. My wife grew up as a Buddhist and converted to Christianity in our first year of marriage. She decided she wanted a divorce. We separated and divorced in 2011. I continued for several years, living a single life. I met my wife, Patricia, in 2017. We lived together in a house in L.A. In 2019, Patricia became a Christian. She was baptized and attended church in Pasadena, CA. I had not been to church for many years. My faith was not a priority in my life. In December 2019, Patricia and I separated. I moved into an apartment and worked as a handyman.
God Got My Attention
The start of the Pandemic was upon us in 2020. I visited Patricia one day in March. I was very uneasy about the current world status. As we sat together, I felt an uneasy feeling throughout my body. I took my temperature, and it read 99.6! I panicked. Immediately, I went into the backyard alone. I prayed out loud to God and asked Him to forgive my bad choices in life. Without God, I acknowledged that I would die. I felt an immediate presence calm me.
The Holy Spirit told me to open my phone and download the Bible. I hadn’t opened a Bible for a long time! I read a few scriptures and felt the need for redemption. When I returned to the house, I asked Patricia to help me find someone online that I could call and pray with. So, here we were at 10 PM on a Sunday looking for a phone number to speak to a live Christian leader to help me. Finally, after about 45 minutes, I found a website that offered live prayer over the phone. I called and spoke to a Christian woman in Canada. She prayed with me and I reaccepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
Called to Ministry and Biblical Ministry Training at CLI
That night, I went into another room in our house and prayed for several hours. God brought me from the brink of disaster in my life back with a realization that I have many more gifts besides music and karate! I can talk to people, which is the first step in bringing people to know Jesus! For many months after that, I read passages in the Bible like never before. God’s Word became clearer to me. After some intense prayer, I knew that because of unemployment due to the Pandemic, I could not afford to attend a Bible Seminary. I prayed for God to give me a way to learn and become a Minister of his Word.
Out of nowhere, I discovered the Christian Leaders Institute! God revealed the possibility to become educated as a minister without costs. What a blessing to have this Biblical ministry training opportunity! To become a minister with my church is my spiritual dream! I know that it is possible to do what the Lord has called me to do. My decades of life experience will be added to CLI’s Biblical ministry training. My life lessons taught me there is NO other way but God’s way! I feel that my skills as a leader will be invaluable to help lead people to Jesus Christ. Praise God!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.