Prodigal Son Returned
My name is Shaun Davis. As a young man, I never thought that I would be a prodigal son. However, here I am rejoicing that this prodigal son returned to his heavenly Father!
Early Years
I grew up on a small fifteen-acre farm a few miles from Dallas, Oregon. Other than a few years in the Army, I have lived within 25 miles of Salem, Oregon, for most of my life. My family attended a non-denominational Church of Christ in Amity. It is a Christian church that follows “The Way” of the first century original Christians. My grandmother taught preschool in our church, and she was a significant influence on me. I grew up as a believer, and I was baptized at eight years old. As a teenager, I envisioned myself as a Youth Pastor when I grew up. I have felt drawn to help children my entire life. I was involved in sports, youth group, and church activities.
After high school, I allowed the distractions of the world to pull me away from God. I made numerous attempts to straighten out my life, but I continued to fall back into the sinful ways of this world and to be overly concerned with material things. I always tried to fix myself, and I thought that I just needed to exercise more self-discipline. However, I still fell short, and I was hard on myself for failing yet again!
Marriage Failure
I married at twenty and attended college for a year. Then, I spent several years in the Army. Something in me changed when I was in Desert Storm. Thirteen years later, in 2004, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I had problems in my marriage for years as I had not shed a tear or felt empathy since 1990. My wife and I sought counseling several times. But, after a whole year of steady counseling, we divorced after twenty years of marriage. She told me I was cold and unfeeling. We both had our issues that contributed to our divorce. With that said, I knew that what she said about me being cold and heartless was correct. The sole reason I knew there was hope for me was that I felt love for my daughters.
New Marriage and Struggles Before the Prodigal Son Returned to the Father
It took several years of counseling before I had a significant achievement. I was finally able to allow myself to feel again. I cried for the first time in 17 years. That is when I started to feel empathy for others. I was also able to feel emotions other than anger. Then, I met an amazing woman who had also divorced after a long marriage. After a whirlwind romance, we blended our families with a result of seven children. Both of us had run entirely away from God, and we were pretty much creatures of this world.
We hit rock bottom about three years into our marriage. My wife asked me for a divorce. I tried to retreat to my old place of not feeling anything, but I was unsuccessful. I quickly realized that she meant more to me than I realized. Devastation is what I felt! I dropped to my knees and poured out my heart to God. I asked him for forgiveness for the way that I had been living my life, and I begged him to save my marriage. Then, I felt a wave of calming relief as I put my life and my problems into God’s hands. The prodigal son returned to his Father in Heaven!
Prodigal Son Returned to a Church Home
After that, I began to read my Bible for the first time in years. It took several months, but we managed to pick up the pieces of our lives and create a beautiful marriage together. We still struggled at first, as I was a believer again, and she was not. Then after the loss of our grandson, she started to go to church. She turned to God and found a way to work through the pain with His help. The last few years have seen so much growth in our marriage and our lives. Marie and I are best friends, and we couldn’t imagine life without each other. We found a small church, like the one I grew up in, and we feel welcome. We now have seven grandchildren with another on the way. Marie and I have been together for 11 1/2 years.
Prison Work and Sharing the Faith
I have worked at a Federal Prison for over 26 years. Two years as a Correctional Officer and more than 24 years as a Cook Supervisor for inmate crews. Working in this environment is different than dealing with typical life situations. You have the worst that society has to offer. There are predators, victims, and people that are just trying to survive. The average inmate cusses a lot. The vulgar content of many conversations is rampant and shocking. One can become desensitized to these things or get caught up in them if one isn’t careful. It took a lot of hard work for me to get my mouth under control. It took even longer for me to get a handle on my thoughts so that I did not find myself being a part of the vulgar talk.
Over the last couple of years, I have found myself caring about what happens to these inmates, especially as they are getting released back into society. There are plenty of them that genuinely want to change, but the odds are against them. The ones that succeed have a support system. In many cases, they have a belief that Jesus is their Savior. I am cautious when discussing faith in Jesus with them. I help them as much as I can with advice on life, dealing with anger, and other typical life issues. A lack of self-confidence when it comes to sharing the Gospel is a challenge for me. So, I struggle because I think that if I could get over this, then I might genuinely make a difference in some of these guys lives.
After the Prodigal Son Returned to the Father, a Life-Changing Event
On June 9, 2019, I was leaving the kitchen to turn in my radio and keys for the night. I suffered a freak motorcycle accident due to some grease on the blacktop. I crashed into some steel poles, and I broke my pelvis in half. Also, my right wrist and my left arm above the elbow were broken. I had an arterial bleed as well. I could have quickly died. They discovered me because I was at work, and my radio alarm went off.
That alarm saved my life and allowed co-workers to find me on our significant prison instillation. It was after hours, so we only had a small crew working. I was in the hospital for four weeks — nine days in intensive care and nine days in the trauma wing. One of the doctors said that I was lucky that I wasn’t paralyzed from the waist down with where my injury was.
I was utterly humbled and overwhelmed by the massive support from family, friends, co-workers, and the small church that we attend. After four weeks, I returned home, and I am spending the next few months recovering and healing. I feel that God allowed me to live because He has something more planned for my life. I have talked to Him much. As He leads me where He would have me go, it doesn’t matter if it is big or small. I want to find a place where I can help God’s Kingdom and people. Even if I only lead one soul to Jesus, then that is worth putting myself out there to help others and witness to them.
After Prodigal Son Returned, He Takes Free Ministry Training at CLI
I stumbled across the Christian Leaders Institute. After investigating it, I decided to start taking courses. I had wanted to do this, and at 52, I am now starting! Being able to receive quality courses for free is a Godsend! I couldn’t afford these courses at a regular school, and I don’t want to wait a few more years when I retire.
I’m not sure exactly where this is leading me. It could be youth ministry, or it might only be me learning enough to help the leaders in our church. I am in the American Legion, and our veteran organization is always looking to help veterans or their families. So, I am not opposed to the idea of being our local post Chaplain if the need arises. Also, I am strongly considering the possibility of working with inmates and former inmates. I believe that I can talk to them on a level that they understand.
As the prodigal son returned to his Father, I have too. I know that God will present me with the path that I should take. I plan to retire at the end of 2023. This plan gives me a few years to work on my ministry path. The thought is that I might convert to college credits, at some point, and work on my degree.
I look forward to the journey that I have begun. I am eager to learn so that I can help lead people to Jesus and everlasting life!
Learn about ordination opportunity at Christian Leaders Alliance.
God’s Amazing Plan
My name is Maribel Pale, and I am grateful to be a part of God’s amazing plan. I’m currently residing in New Jersey in the USA with my wonderful husband, Alvin. We are happily married for 25 years, and we are blessed with two amazing sons. I was born in the Philippines, and I am the eldest of five children.
Early Life and Coming to the Lord
I was raised with a Catholic background as my parents received the same upbringing. But when I was 17 years old, my mother told me she surrendered her life to the Lord Jesus after missionaries from America and England came to our place and shared the Gospel. My sincere gratitude goes to my mother, and her endless invitation to Christ as my siblings, and I finally came to know the Lord. My father, who was hesitant to embrace the new faith, also came to know the Lord.
After that, the Lord started to use me on numerous occasions as a youth speaker for Bible studies and Sunday school. But like other new Christians, I also experienced my Christian walk to be dormant. Not realizing my need for a healthy prayer life and consistent devotion to His Word, I experienced trials that pushed me to the end of the road. I questioned my faith and blamed myself for destroying my relationship with God. The enemy was there to accuse me, but still, the Holy Spirit was there to help me accomplish my ordained destiny.
So, I gave full surrender to the One that gave His life for me. I began to seek God with a new hunger of knowing who He is in my life. He began to speak to me in a more personal way as He molded my heart through His Word. Indeed, I re-dedicated my life to the Lordship of our Lord Jesus, my Savior.
Opportunity in America as Part of God’s Amazing Plan
In 1990, I began work as a Registered Nurse at one of the top hospitals in the Philippines. God placed the passion in my heart to win the lost by sharing God’s love to my patients. I saw the rich and the famous on their death beds and in their most dependent state. Therefore, at the age of 20, I came to realize that we are all the same in God’s eyes and that none of our status or accomplishments in life earn us eternal life. Without Jesus, our life is meaningless, and we are nothing apart from Him.
In 2006, God allowed me to work in America. More than ever, that passion for praying for the sick and the dying grew. In fact, given the opportunity, it has become my lifestyle. My husband also joins me in prayer for people even when we are in public places. What a privilege it is to witness for Christ and feed the poor with other believers.
My Spiritual Dream and Ministry Training at CLI
My biggest spiritual dream is to be able to reach out to the lost souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to be a vessel for God’s amazing plan on earth for the manifestation of God’s healing and deliverance. I also long to witness supernatural miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, as part of God’s amazing plan, I want to encourage and empower new and old believers to continue through discipleship. Thirdly, I hope to plant churches and advance the Kingdom for God’s glory.
I am so thankful to God to receive the free ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute. I firmly believe that being properly equipped, God can use me in His excellent plan for the End Time Harvest. What a fantastic opportunity and a great honor to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Spirit-Filled Ministry Training
My name is James Chukwunwwolum Emeuwa, and I am receiving Spirit-filled ministry training at CLI. I am from Oduma Aninri LGA Enugu State in Nigeria. Currently, I study in Poltava Technical University in Ukraine. I was born on the 23rd of September 1989. My birth order is the second child of my parents, although, I am the first son. Even though I was not from a Christian home, I acknowledged there is God.
In June 2012, during the National Youth Day of AGC Agbanoke Oduma, I was called to cover the program photographically. Then, I discovered the difference between Orthodox churches, some other Pentecostal churches I attended, and the mother of Pentecostalism. I experienced the movement of the Holy Spirit and thorough teaching of the word of God in the Sunday School. However, what attracted me the most was the church’s youth president. Teenagers and youths had the opportunity to perform group and personal spiritual and inspirational activities. Then, I got inspired asked myself; these are youth like you. Why are you waiting to grab this opportunity? So, I decided to join the movement.
My Spiritual Journey
As I continued to hear and see the power of the Holy Spirit, I sat in my room one afternoon and questioned God: “How do you show the people prophecy? And or a vision? What kind of ears and eyes do you give them? If it is the same with mine, then would you tell or show me something so that I can be a part of it?” After these questions, I said to God, “I heard you speak to some people while they sleep. Now, I am going to sleep. Please, come and show me who I am, what my life is for, and what my purpose here on earth is.”
As I was still meditating on this, I went into a trance where someone in a white garment came to me with a covered plate. I could not see what was inside it. Then the man told me that I have to stay out of formication and uncleanness before he can come close and hand the plate to me. I prayed and asked God to help me as I struggled to control my flesh in that sense. I went into covenant with Him that day. After that, I began to hear from God clearly, and He continues to disconnect me from ungodly life.
God’s Leading
Five months later, He told me that I have a big assignment in the church. He told me five times; not because I was doubting, but because I wanted to be very sure. The exciting aspect of my relationship with Jesus is that He hears and answers me when I call. Despite my unfaithfulness and wavering heart, He still counts me as His and wants me to do His work.
I have served as a Sunday school teacher in the Assemblies of God. I received the privilege of serving as one of the youth leaders under some pastors who saw the gift of God in me. Theses pastors are Rev. Dickson Akachukwu (JP), my pastor, Rev. Prince Okorie, then the district youth coordinator, and Rev. Emeka Iwegbulam, present youth coordinator. My home pastor, whose teaching drew me to the faith despite my short stay of six months, opened me up to God.
Spirit-Filled Ministry Training at CLI
Here in Ukraine, I worship with the Calvary Chapel Poltava under Pastor and Mrs. Eric from the USA. They gave me the link to the Christian Leaders Institute. I read through CLI’s statement of faith and feel blessed that CLI will train me for the ministry. Now, I am grateful not only that it’s free, but for the foundation of the Institution (John 3:16). The wise Holy Spirit-filled ministry training and the lecturing professors, such as Prof Elzinga, are an added benefit.
I am happy to be admitted into CLI, not as though I have attained or were already perfect. I launch myself into this institution to see if I could by any means through the teachings “APPREHEND THAT WHICH I WAS APPREHENDED OF CHRIST.”
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.