Free Bible Education Dream
My name is Michael Blaes and I have a free Bible education dream. I live in the United States. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was six years old. My parents both served in the church. Anytime the doors were open, I was there whether I wanted to be or not. I joined the Royal Rangers, which is a Christian Boy Scout group. In Royal Rangers, I was trained as a Junior Commander then later as an Outpost Commander. Over the years, I did all the “Christian” things that we are supposed to do as followers of Christ. My problem was that my roots were not deep. I knew all the stuff, but I did not have the maturity that came along with it. I started to resent being forced to be at church. I began to stray away.
I went away to college and distanced myself from God. I drank and smoked. It is only by the grace of God that I did not completely fall apart. My distance from God lasted for about 15 years. I went to church occasionally, tried praying and worshiping but found the experience to be dry and unfulfilling. It wasn’t until I met my future wife-to-be, Teresa, that things changed. There was something infectious about her faith. I started to go to church with her. Around that time, I remember my Mom telling me, “You need to be honest with God and tell him what you want.” I cried out to him and said: “I don’t want to be alone any more, I’m tired of being alone.” He heard my prayer.
That night I went to work at midnight. I was an operator at a military base. While we were working, our boss allowed us to make calls and I called Teresa. We ended up talking all night. I finished up my shift, went home and then to bed. That afternoon I woke up and called Teresa again to ask if she wanted to go out as friends. We went to Chilis. Teresa was nervous and she admitted that she was concerned that I would take advantage of her. I reached over to reassure her and touched her hand and sparks shot across our hands. We continued dating and were married about 6 months later.
Shortly before we were married, we attended a candlelight service at my hometown church. We were given 2 prophecies that night. The first one was that God was giving us something very rare and precious. We went back to our seats pondering what we had been told. Then Pastor JR came up to us. He started to pray and then shared with us the second prophecy. He said he saw a king’s carriage and two mighty horses were pulling it. The pastor said that we were the horses. The horses were pulling the carriage up a path that was getting more and more difficult to traverse till they were going through boulders. Then, all of a sudden the trail smoothed out and became like glass. He said, “You have to go through the rough to get to the smooth.” That night as I slept I heard the voice of the Lord. He told me, “My people do not know how to hear my voice, teach them how.” And that began our call to ministry in my free Bible education dream.
After we married, everything became a struggle in our lives. We yearned to serve God, to be in the ministry, but we could not find anyone that was willing to mentor us. That is when the Lord led me to reach out to Pastor JR, my former pastor. I told him what was in our heart, and he told me very frankly, “You are not ready. Your foundation is not strong.” He told me that we needed to be doing daily devotions. I asked him if he would be willing to mentor us. Pastor JR told me that he would pray about it and get back with me. A few days later he agreed.
We decided to move back to my old hometown. After we got situated, we met with Pastor JR. He told us we would meet with him about once a week. He told us that if we did not do our devotions, that he would not meet with us. Also, we would help clean the church every week. We agreed, and thus began our ministry training, and the crazy path we walk today.
I identify with a church planter. While I may never plant a church, my wife and I tend to move down the road less traveled. We are good at starting things and have started several businesses and several ministries. We will see where God leads us in this.
Our church has supported our family. They have held us in their arms and have been there when we needed them. They love and care for us. My wife and I are a team. We work together. My parents also support us and pray for us daily.
I want to take my walk and ministry up where it needs to be in my free Bible education dream. When I was a kid, I read this magazine called Campus Life. It was a Christian magazine aimed at high school and college students with ads for various Christian colleges. I desperately wanted to attend a Christian college. I applied for a few but did not qualify for any scholarships. So I gave up and ended up going to a secular school. But I’ve continued to have the desire to go to Bible school. Christian Leaders Institute is giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifetime free Bible education dream.
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Ministry Life Journey
My name is Teresa Blaes, and I am on a ministry life journey. I live in the USA. I did not grow up in a Christian home. In fact, while my mom for most of my early years did her best to raise me and do what was right, God was not in the picture. Add abuse, the murder of my sister when I was six years of age, and my being a witness. Then add my having many medical issues. I did not have an interest in God whatsoever. At this time my mindset was, you likely don’t care about me, so I don’t care about you, though I would have described this in a few more colorful terms.
When I was in high school, I met a beautiful lady who was my English teacher. At the time, I just thought she was one of those religious sorts who took her faith a little too seriously. Instead of admitting my rage and anger at God, I masked it by denying His existence. I demanded proof that He was real. The thing was that she and her family had an answer for every objection, and argument I posed. Over time, about a year and a half, I had encounters with something I can only describe as supernatural, what I now know was demonic. I believe that God let me see this, to show me that there is something beyond this realm and that I would have to choose a side.
It took a year and a half for me to bend the knee finally, but I eventually did after hearing a radio show, “Night Sounds with Bill Perce.” He said something to the effect that “I’m talking to
someone who has listened to this message before, what do you have to lose?” I turned off the radio, got on my knees, and did business with God. I don’t remember what the prayer was exactly, but I knew that when I finished praying something in me had changed. This was the beginning of my ministry life journey.
As far as my dream for ministry, I want to go wherever God wants. The form of ministry has changed for me. In the past, I ran a Christian radio station and was involved in youth ministry. Now, as of this writing, I run Unresolved Life Ministries and am the host of the Unresolved Life podcast. I would say that my dream is to see this ministry grow into all God has for it. I want to spread His message to any and all who will hear it on my ministry life journey.
Regarding this class at Christian Leaders Institute, there is a depth here, and I have learned a lot. The approach is different and it has given me a proper healthy respect for the various denominations. I also loved discovering the historical facts tucked in the different lectures and writings. This class has challenged me to sharpen my faith and the message God has given me. It has given me a thirst to learn more on my ministry life journey.
I believe I am an evangelist because I desire to see people, no matter who they are, rescued from the road to hell. I want to see broken lives made new in Christ. I believe God when He says that on that day everyone will bend the knee and confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. But not all are written in the Lamb’s book of life, this fact scares me and breaks my heart. We have a mission: to go to war for those who do not even know they are in a war and to rescue those who so desperately need it. The fact is that God rescued me, how can I not, by His Spirit and His power, offer life to others?
Unresolved Life Ministries came out of a time when I had fallen away. That old anger with God had cropped up and driven me away from Him after two events that happened at the same time, the loss of my mom and the loss of my sight in the same week. When I finally returned to the Lord, He gave me this ministry. It is to speak to those who are struggling in similar situations and asking the hard questions about God, life, and faith.
I have some wonderful accountability partners who have walked with me through my return to the Lord and the birth of this ministry. Our pastor, who after seeing the video promoting Unresolved Life Ministries has shown it publicly in our church. Regarding my family, my husband and I are all in, and we work together. I bounce thoughts off him often, and we regularly pray for each other.
I had no desire to go to a college. I even told anyone who would listen that you wouldn’t find me back in school. I was entirely comfortable building a business and doing my thing. However, at a conference, God gave me the word to sharpen my message. I believe that coming to Christian Leaders Institute will do just this. I could not pay for tuition out of my pocket so this opportunity is a Godsend. May God keep you and bless you today and always!
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.