My Journey With God
Hello, my name is Mark Bacot, and here is my journey with God thus far. At this time, I am blessed to be getting free ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute. I know God is calling me to serve him in ministry as a Chaplain.
Born in the USA in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I lived there in that area until the army moved me to Texas in my early 20s. I now live in Irving, Texas.
My Journey With God: The Importance of the Church
Here is my story on how the church played a huge part in my life. There is so much to tell; sometimes, I think I could write a book. However, to keep it short, I have left many things out. What you read will give you a clear understanding of what the church means to me and how I came to know Jesus. Also, you will see the enormous part my Savior played in my life even to this day.
From very early on, the church was a big part of my life. In my earliest memories of the time I was at church, I get all these flashbacks to remember certain things that left an impression on me. In Vacation Bible School, for instance, I remember summers that I attended. Even though I participated in every summer, certain ones made more of an impact on my life.
I spent many days out of each week at church, and I can’t remember ever feeling like I had to go because I wanted to be there. It was my second home. Many times, it felt like my real home, surrounded by a large family that was my actual family. I am not sure how many children thought this way growing up in the church, and I imagine more did than ever confessed it.
My Journey With God: The Church Saved My Life
When I say that the church saved me, I mean it saved me. My parents separated when I was maybe two or three years old. My mother remained a single parent until I was seven or eight years old. It was hard for me having a new father as I thought things were good the way they were. My biological father was still a part of my life, and I saw him one weekend out of each month. My father became a minister and started a church where he served until he passed away from cancer when I was around 20 years old.
I didn’t like my new stepfather from the moment I met him. This dislike was not because he was there to take my birth father’s place, but because I saw things in him that I knew were not suitable for my mother, my sister, or myself. He was not a good person, and I saw that from early on. I will not go into detail about what I went through during the years to follow.
However, I will say that without the church, I would not have survived mentally or physically. In my early teen years, suicide was never far from my mind, and the church and the Lord kept me in a place that made it tolerable to live.
My Journey With God: And God Saved My Soul
When I was around 10-11 years old, I had a near-death experience of nearly drowning. This experience changed me, and strange things started happening to me. Not long after this experience, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I asked him to come into my heart, even though he always had been in me. I wanted to profess this to him in the church. Since I knew suicide was wrong, I needed Christ in my heart to continue to keep me secure. I loved Jesus, and after I almost died, I knew it was wrong for me to want to take my own life.
Also, I wanted to make Jesus proud of me and to be able to see him one day. I knew that God had a higher purpose for me at that point. I thought about my mother, sister, and church family that I would be hurting. My mother needed me to encourage her and to keep her strong. It was a lot of pressure on me, and I was close to breaking so many times. It all goes back to the church and my extended family and keeping Jesus close to my heart every day.
My Journey With God: Life Growth
I have long since forgiven my stepfather and moved on from everything that happened in my youth. My stepfather has changed, and I see that. Now, my stepbrother is a minister and works for the Southern Baptist Convention. My mother, sister, and her family are very much involved in the church as always. I have survived cancer twice now. The Lord, my God, is not finished with me.
I found out in 2014 that I had cancer, I kept my faith and remained strong and beat it. Then, in 2018, my cancer returned. I went through eight weeks of daily treatments, and that cancer, thanks to God, was cured as well.
As an ordained minister, I work as a chaplain with hospice patients and their families. I am there for them, offering them spiritual guidance and comfort. Also, I want to help other youth and adults that maybe need guidance or counseling. God has plans for me, and I am blessed to be in his service.
My Favorite Scripture
Psalm 100 1-5
*Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
*Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
*Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
*Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
And his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him, bless his name!
*For the Lord is good:
His steadfast love endures forever,
And his faithfulness to all generations.
Much love and peace to you from the Lord Jesus Christ!
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
A Call to Ministry
Hello, my name is Brianna Kingsbury and I have a call to ministry. I am from Wayland, which is 30 minutes South of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have a Medical Office Management Associates Degree from Ross Medical Education Center. Currently, I am a church secretary at a small church in Wayland and attend a different church nearby. I am a divorced single mother of three young boys and am in a serious relationship with a wonderful man.
My Youth and Marriage
I grew up in a family that went to church most Sundays, and we prayed as a family when we had people over. My parents created the image that we were Christians, but I never felt God’s presence in our home. I can’t remember ever not believing in God. I’ve always known God was real and that he sent his son to die for us. I believe that Jesus rose again and saved us from our sins. There was never a doubt in my mind about that. However, due to how I was raised, I never realized how much of my relationship with God was missing.
As I graduated from High School and got married the following year, I thought my life was pretty great. We continued on the tradition of going to church some Sundays and praying when we remembered to do it. Over the years, we had two boys, and things were changing in our family. Besides the dynamics of being parents and having children running around, something was missing in our marriage and our household. My husband grew distant and did not want to be at home with his wife and kids. Fights happened far too regularly, and ultimately, there was no happiness.
Pastoral Care for Our Marriage
My spouse and I decided to speak with our Pastor to get some help to get back on track. We had a great meeting, so I felt like we were on the right path back. In those moments, I decided to build a relationship with God. I asked the Pastor for some devotional books to help me through some of the emotions I was experiencing at that time. I still remember the one that I did, a study on the book of Ruth about never quitting.
The study guided me through personal struggles, struggles in my marriage, and even with other things in my life. It helped me to not quit on my marriage, no matter what was happening. I began to bring my issues and problems to God. I learned to trust in him. It didn’t take much for me to realize that the way I grew up was missing a massive part of life. Being a Christian was so much more than just believing in God. I needed to talk with God, listen to God, and to walk with Him.
During the next few months, my marriage seemed to be thriving. So, we decided we were ready to continue expanding our family and found ourselves pregnant with our third boy. But halfway through my pregnancy, everything changed in the blink of an eye.
Marriage Ended and Personal Growth
My husband told me that he is done with our marriage and wants a divorce. I fought for him, trying to figure out what he needed and how to make this whole again. I found myself trying to figure out what went wrong as I thought things were going well. He decided to work long hours and some times wouldn’t even come home at night. He said he spent the night at a friend’s house, something we didn’t do in our marriage (we always come home at night).
I continued to pray and fight for my marriage, even as I began to question if there was another woman. About a month went by, and he admitted that he had a girlfriend (and had several affairs before that). At that point, I was lost. I didn’t know if I should still fight for my husband or let go. I had no idea what to do and spent most nights crying myself to sleep in prayer to God.
Weeks later, my husband moved his mistress into our house. It took me a month of living there with them before I could finally get myself and the kids a place to live on our own. The following month, I gave birth to our third child. Fast forward, we divorced, and God has never left me or forsook me. He stayed by my side and provided for the kids and me time and time again. He built up a beautiful Christian Community around me.
New Beginnings
I found a part-time job as a church secretary so that I could be a hands-on mother with my boys. I could be there for school drop-offs and pick-ups. My church has been nothing but warm and loving, no matter my circumstances. Here I am nearly three years after my ex-husband said he was done, and I have a wonderful life. I do not advocate for divorce, but God has shown me a new path since I remained faithful no matter what happened to my kids and me.
Since the devotional book was handed to me, I have been building a healthy walk with God in the year before my life came crashing down. I changed my life from “just believing in God,” to LIVING FOR GOD.
After my divorce, I had no idea what was going to happen or what God had in store for me. But over time, He led me to a wonderful Christian man, with whom I hope to spend my life. Together, we are creating a Christ-centered relationship between the two of us and with the children. Sunday is our favorite day of the week, as we often can not wait to get back to church. We pray together all the time and continue to dive deep into the Bible and our devotions. We have been together for almost a year now, and I cannot wait to see where God leads us next.
My Prayer and A Call to Ministry
Over the last six months, I’ve begun praying the prayer, “Help me to want what you want. Help me to love what you love.” It’s inspired by something my Pastor said in a sermon last spring. It helps me stop asking for only the things I want or think I need. The prayer helps me to focus on God and what he wants me to do. It is a scary prayer, as following God is not always easy.
That prayer challenges me to do things I never imagined doing myself. But that is the beauty of it. I am not doing it alone. The Holy Spirit is inside of me, and I will do God’s work for His glory! Since beginning that prayer, I felt God nudging me and guiding me to pursue ministry. I am to be a minister to my children and a Christian example for them. I am to learn how to have a Christian marriage (someday – preparing myself for when it happens), but also to do more.
Free Ministry Training for a Call to Ministry
I know and believe that we are called to advance the Kingdom of God – a call to ministry. God is calling me to study Ministry so that I can work for God above and beyond my work as a church secretary. I’m not exactly sure where God will place me in a call to ministry. It may be in women’s ministries of some sort. I know that God is saying start now and trust in the path, even if I can’t see the finish line yet. Currently, I am taking the classes at Christian Leaders Institute that equal out to the Bachelor of Ministry. However, down the road, I will decide if I want to get an official degree or simply have the training.
With a call to ministry, the free training is necessary for me. Especially as I am a single mom with three boys. I have a part-time church salary and can not afford to pay for college. This free training at CLI helps me to be adequately trained for the voluntary ministry that I know God is calling me to do. Since I won’t be getting paid to do it, I can’t afford to go into debt for it. I am so thankful for this program and can not wait to see where it leads me. Thank you, CLI!
Learn about the degree programs at CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Free Bible School Education at CLI
My name is Jireh Faith Apilan from the Philippines, I am receiving free Bible School education at CLI. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Currently, I am a high school teacher. I am also in the music ministry and a youth leader at the church where my parents are pastors.
I am the youngest among the three siblings. We live in a place that most of the pastor’s children have a terrible image. My parents are full-time ministers of Christ. I’ve seen them walking by faith in the Lord. They raised us in the fear of the Lord.
Studying and Serving
Watching my parents working for the Lord, I’ve seen them cry over victories and troubles. At the age of 17, I felt the burden and the calling that God put in my heart. I told my parents that I don’t want to finish my degree because I wanted to go to Bible School and help them in the church. However, my parents didn’t agree with that plan. I pursued my degree to become a teacher for almost six years.
I continued my service in the Lord while I did my studies by becoming a Youth Overseer for four years. They were some of the victorious years of my life. Many times, I saw the miracles that God did in every plan I made for the youth ministry. There was never the thought of being a carnal Christian.
Temptation and Giving In to Sin
The time came that I never expected when I had a relationship. It led me into trouble. I made a mistake and thought it would pass by after I asked forgiveness of the Lord. But, it was just a thought. My relationship became the beginning of my defeat as a Christian. I never thought it would happen in my life.
Years passed by, and I got used to my sin. I served God in those days but without pleasing him. Thus, those days were my misery. I cried a lot, but still, the sting of sin was there. I was guilty and knew the Word of God and the truth. Yet, I was defeated. Thus, people who knew me thought that I was okay. They saw me as a big sister to them because I am one who can give opinions or suggestions. But, they did not know my life was full of misery, struggle, and defeat.
I was in a place where no one could rescue me except Jesus. Used to being defeated, I got used to my weaknesses, and sin became the ruler of my life. Then, I prayed to God, “Lord, guide me and have mercy on me.” I discovered a pastor on social media who spoke about the anointing of the Holy Spirit. At my heart’s desire and while listening to those words, I had hope that there is a Holy Spirit that can help me. Every time I heard his messages, something was happening in my life. There was fire from within me. Gradually, those relationships that I had, the reason for my defeat, slowly faded.
Saved and Restored
Then, there was a conference in our church. At this time, the hunger for the Holy Spirit’s anointing and God’s mercy became more evident in my life. As soon as the pastor spoke about the Holy Spirit, I cried so hard and started to speak in tongues as I fell on the ground. The moment that Jesus became real in my life as my Lord and Savior is the moment when God opened my eyes and heart.
I can’t even express my gratitude for how thankful I am for God’s Holy Spirit. Indeed, He is the helper and counselor. God did not punish me as I deserved. Instead, I found favor and mercy in my life. Sometimes, Satan whispers to me to tempt me, but the Holy Spirit is more powerful. He gave me a word, “The moment you offer your life to me, it’s not your life anymore.” The more I walk in obedience to God, the more I die to myself.
CLI for Free Bible School Education
God recalled to me my desire to go to Bible School. So, I researched where to enroll. But, it was hard since I was in the middle of the school year. Praise God because He led me to the Christian Leaders Institute website for free Bible School education.
I hope to use my ministry training at CLI for my friends and school mates and even my students. It will enable me to join the ministry of my parents. This free ministry training at CLI is an answered prayer for me since I want to develop the gift that God has entrusted. At the same time, I can continue my field of teaching. I am not just a vessel of knowledge for this world, but I also have the knowledge of good news for the lost.
Learn about ordination with the Christian Leaders Alliance.