Online Bible Training in Las Vegas
My name is Donald L. Lowery, and I am receiving free online Bible training at CLI. I am from the state of Pennsylvania and the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, in the USA. I currently live in Henderson, Nevada, which is ten miles south-east of Las Vegas.
The Lord brought me to Vegas after I served fourteen years in the U.S Navy. The Lord planted me in a beautiful church named Remnant Ministries. Here, I’ve had the pleasure to serve the Lord in the youth ministry department and drama ministry. Currently, I serve the Lord in the media ministry.
Being a child of God in a city that’s known as the “city of sin” has its challenges all of its own. That’s why I believe the Lord sent me here, and my heart is for the church of tomorrow and the youth. The youth, especially here in Vegas, need someone willing to stand in the gap for them.
Young Life
I grew up in the church serving the Lord from my youth. My parents always made sure that I and my two brothers and two sisters went to church even if they didn’t make it. Growing up, none of my friends went to church so sometimes we didn’t want to go. However, one of the rules at our house was no church, no outside. Therefore, every Sunday, I was in church.
About the time I became a teenager, the Muslim faith rushed through my neighborhood like a storm, and when the storm clouds rolled back, many of my friends were practicing Muslims. It was hard enough being a kid from the south with a speech problem, and the only kid that was a Christian; now, my friends became Muslim. It seemed I was back on the outside looking in. But, I realize now that it was God separating me for his purpose and His plan for my life.
God Spoke
Even though I grew up in the church, my journey to know the Lord started after I left my parents’ home. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I was in a night club in San Diego, and my friends just purchased another round of drinks. Plans were set for an afterparty. I was living “the life.” Then it happened. The music stopped. Everyone was still talking, but I didn’t hear them anymore. I heard a voice say, “It’s time to come home.” I looked around to see who was talking to me, but I didn’t see anyone. The same voice said, “The time is now.” At that moment, I got up from the table I was sitting at and went home. Soberer than I had ever been in my life, my mind was clear and calm. For the first time in my life, I was afraid.
Now don’t get me wrong. I have been scared before, but I never feared anything, nor any person. However, I didn’t know what respect was until the fear of the Lord came into my life that night. That night in that club, thinking I was living, the Lord came and saved me from the death that was surrounding me.
Spiritual Dream
My spiritual dream is simple: to reach the lost that don’t know they are lost. There is nothing sadder than to see someone who is broken and doesn’t know it. One of the biggest obstacles I faced in my growth into a more mature man of God is facing the man in the mirror, myself. I thought that if I’m a good person, then I’m okay with God. Even a sinner can do the right thing and can make good decisions, but I asked myself, “Are you in the will of God?”
Since I have aligned my will with the will of God, everything I do gives me the joy of God. The outcome of things is no longer critical. My goal is to stay in the will of God and know Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
God became real to me that day I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. That day, I stopped holding back and just let go and let God. God loves me. Jesus stands in the gap between the Father and me, so I can come to Him in my sinful state and ask for forgiveness for my sins.
Online Bible Training at Christian Leaders Institute
My hope and prayer are that I have a closer walk with God. Through the online Bible training here at Christian Leaders Institute, I hope to gain better understanding and insight into God’s word. I will be equipped to go out and make disciples of Christ, my Lord, and Savior. CLI provides free online Bible training for those that are not in a position to pay for it. To receive this training is a blessing from God. He is using his people to help those who have the same desire to know him more intimately and to be able to do so with a financial blessing.
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Free Ministry Training Online
My name is Ann Jeanette Ford, and I am excited to take free ministry training online at Christian Leaders Institute. I was born in Warrington, UK. My mother had relocated my siblings and me to Skelmersdale then back to Warrington for a few years. However, then she moved us to Stoke on Trent and back to Warrington. Warrington is where I live full-time with my husband and children. My childhood was very complicated because I didn’t have loving parents. Both of my parents were divorced, and they favored my little brother. I was christened as a baby, and I went to Sunday school off and on.
As long I can remember, I consistently talked about Jesus Christ and God himself to my family members. Sadly, this witnessing annoyed them quite a bit. Initially, I learned about the Lord in school (RE) and from movies on TV.
When I lost my new-born baby boy sixteen years ago, I felt a comforting presence near me for quite a while. This presence made everything around me, calm and peaceful. I saw a golden light shine across my little boy’s face as he passed away. That was part of my spiritual journey because I knew that God was there for me at the most painful time of my life.
Some nights, I dream about God. He is sending me a message from himself, but I can’t totally make sense of them. After certain events in my life led me to believe God is real, I sought out a Bible education. I hope to use my Christian Leaders Institute free ministry training online to make a big difference in the world for my Lord and Savior. I want to help others to know Jesus and to understand his love for them. Thank you, CLI, for this free ministry training online opportunity!
Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Cowboy Church Calling
My name is William “Tim” Carlisle, and I have a Cowboy Church calling on my life. I am from the small town of Hazlehurst, Mississippi, USA. As the youngest of four children, I had a relatively normal childhood for those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. Living in a rural area, I grew up working hard on the hundreds of acres my father farmed, which was his secondary job. My father often had me working with him doing carpentry work and driving dump trucks and other equipment to build roads which were his primary jobs.
I learned about God from church, family, and school. Attending a Baptist church growing up, I professed my faith in Jesus and was baptized as a young teenager. Like many teenagers, I faced the temptation of drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, and other choices. For the most part, I resisted them. When I finished high school, I was a journeyman carpenter.
Job Opportunities
Having failed to land an athletic scholarship to play football at my favorite university, I foolishly turned down athletic scholarships from two other universities. Instead, I went to work full-time. Eventually, I worked for Halliburton, one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. I also competed professionally part-time in rodeos as a bull rider and saddle bronc rider. My work schedule included many hours spent on offshore drilling rigs, and I missed attending church many times.
My second child, a son, was born profoundly handicapped. Therefore, the doctors predicted he would lead a short life with a poor quality of life. My son outlived all the doctors’ timelines for his death and is currently 33. My son is loved, not just by me and others, but first and foremost, God loves him. God has a reason why He has not yet called my son home. God became quite real to me as not only did my son struggle with multiple health issues, but I suffered injuries offshore and in rodeo. By God’s grace, my son and I survived.
After my son’s birth, my life became busier. To provide for my wife and children, I studied for and received my real estate license. I kept my full-time job with Halliburton, my first part-time job, and added realtor as my second part-time job. With all the time I spent working three jobs, I was not able to attend church as often or as regularly as I would have liked. However, my faith was steadfast.
Marriage and Ministry Journey
My first marriage ended in divorce, but I was blessed to find a wonderful woman who loves the Lord. We married and have a happy marriage. She and I live in the United States; part-time in Tennessee and part-time in Mississippi. I attend church with her.
Most, if not all of the ministers, typically called preachers in the region of the US where I live, receive traditional seminary or Bible College training. Many laypeople minister in various roles in their churches in my community. My spiritual dream is to help others and to walk with Christ as I answer God’s Cowboy Church calling. I want to demonstrate my love for God by reflecting what is in my heart in my words and deeds.
God’s Cowboy Church Calling and Free Ministry Training
For many years, I have felt a calling to minister in a more formal way. However, traditional training is not an option for me, not even now that I am retired from all three of my jobs. I encounter many who are lost or who have fallen away from God.
While I can witness to these people, share my knowledge with them, and encourage them to attend church, I feel it has been put upon my heart to do more. I have the time and the desire to follow through on where I feel led. Planting a non-denominational ministry is what I feel called to do, a Cowboy Church calling.
The free online training offered by the Christian Leaders Institute is paramount in my journey. I could not afford traditional seminary training, nor do I have the desire to be a full-time student at the age of 59. After doing a lot of research, I found the Christian Leaders Institute. The online learning, coupled with a local mentor, will enable me to gain formal training to meet my goals and perhaps even surpass them. The scholarship aspect is a huge blessing in my life.
Learn about minister ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.