Free Online Bible Education
My name is Lilly Thompson and I am receiving free online Bible education at Christian Leaders Institute. I am from Washington state in the USA. Growing up, I had an idea of who Jesus was and called myself a Christian. But the day I chose to believe and follow Jesus Christ came at me like a train out of nowhere. I did something that I had never thought I would do. I challenged God and his existence, daring Him to give me a sign. Out of all the things you could ask for, I made a deal on my middle school PE baseball game.“If you can make my team win within the last 5 minutes, then I’ll go home and read my Bible.” At this point, the other team was considerably ahead of my mine. I remember thinking that it would be impossible within the next play to turn it around and win the game. Yet, the most unlikely player to hit a home run ended up winning the game for us. Anyone who watches sports can say that that’s nothing. But to a 13-year-old, It was enough to convince me to read my Bible.
Flipping through the pages of the Student Bible my mother gave me, I can across a Salvation Prayer. I remember reading that prayer through the haze of my tears and feeling like whatever I had just done was going to change me for the rest of my life. I jumped at the chance to attend church with my friend every week after that point. Reflecting on all the trials I’ve been through in my life, I’m so grateful that I’ve had such a powerful and loving being by my side. Without the help and direction of my faith in the Father, I’m certain my attitude and outlook on life would be considerably different.
While I do believe that my faith has strengthened me into a better and stronger person. I often tend to struggle with balancing my faith and a very fast-paced and hectic life. Christian Leaders Institute is a tool that will make me schedule in studies. CLI has resources that deepen my Bible study which will greatly improve my personal studies. It’s easy to stay distracted, especially when our days seem to slip out of our fingers faster than a handful of water. Having deadlines on my free online Bible education will keep those things in the back of my mind and hold me accountable for getting them done. Not just that, but engaging my mind in studies and reading assignments and essays will allow me to keep those skills I don’t use on a daily basis at work.
In all, I’m looking forward to seeing where my studies take me, whether I use the knowledge for myself and my family or take the certificates at the end and volunteer my time at my local church. Having this opportunity and coming across CLI is a blessing from God all on it own.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Youth Ministry Call Journey
My name is Sean Warren, and I have been on a youth ministry call journey. I am married with four children, ages 14 to 22 years. My wife and I have been living in the Denver, Colorado area for the past 9 years. We previously lived in the Chicago area, Los Angeles area and Olympia, WA, which is the region where I grew up.
I came to know Christ when I was 25, shortly after we had moved from Olympia to Los Angeles. We were not married yet and had our first child, age six months at the time we arrived in Los Angeles. Shortly after arriving, we went to my mother-in-law’s church and I received Christ. That moment changed everything for me. I grew up in an irreligious home. I immediately began praying and studying God’s word, and we quickly became involved in our church family.
Through the years, we worked in various levels of lay ministry, and also home-schooled our kids through most of their school years. We grew stronger in our faith and understanding of the scriptures and the ways of God along the way. I have always had a yearning to do more in ministry as has my wife Angela. In 2005, on my youth ministry call journey, we founded a ministry geared toward discipling school-age children in Illinois. We had an amazing time being involved together with our kids and made many great friendships.
On my youth ministry call journey, in 2008, we moved with two other families to Denver, Colorado to expand the ministry we had founded together. Unfortunately, and I believe in accordance with God’s plan for us, the ministry did not last. I had left my full-time job in technology for this move, trusting God was going to somehow make it work. The way He made it work did not include continuing in the ministry we came to Colorado for. However, in his faithfulness, I landed a great job back in technology here in Colorado, where I have now been working for nine years.
In the meantime, my wife has gone on to direct youth programs in a number of areas, and she has always had an eager and willing volunteer to help her in me. A constant for me has been that I love working with young people, both in the church and in my career.
With four kids and working to meet their needs, I seem to always put my ministry dream, which is to work in a larger capacity with young people and the arts, at bay. I’ve seen far too many ministry leaders put their ministry first at the expense of their families, and I have never wanted to do that. Christian Leaders Institute gives me the opportunity to pursue the knowledge and training I’ve always wanted to in a way that is flexible for me. And with little financial cost, I have no excuse but to go and get it done!
The teaching seems very practical, especially on how to apply walking with God and devotional time. I really like the steps and ideas there. Just working through the material is drawing me closer to God and I feel the Holy Spirit in it – the windy places!
We have called four different churches our home in Colorado since moving here and working in various ministries – the most recent being my wife’s ministry work. We’ve been at Colorado Community Church most recently. I look forward to getting more involved in the life of the church and finding a mentor for this program. That is my next major step to take.
I love the apprenticeship model! It seems the most organic and real way to teach and learn. It’s honestly the way I’ve learned most of what I know, so it makes sense and I have confidence in it. I’m glad CLI is here and embraces it!
Learn about local ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Jail Ministry Call
I have a jail ministry call on my life. I was born and raised in Michigan in a family that attended church regularly. Growing up, we were constantly involved in studies. I remember my dad being involved in jail ministry off and on throughout my childhood. I attended summer camp and made great friends within the church who served as great supports throughout my childhood.
I graduated from a Christian college with a degree in psychology. I moved to Atlanta, Georgia where I currently reside. I spent 7 years working in community outreach in the mental health arena. I now teach middle school where I interact with hundreds of students daily.
Participating in the Christian Leaders Institute program has been incredibly beneficial for me. As a teacher, I enjoy summers off which provides me with time to devote to these studies. The flexibility of the self-paced courses makes it possible for me to spend my days off studying the materials and preparing me to be effective in my outreach.
While God has always been a part of my life, I really came to know God and grow in my relationship with him throughout my time in Atlanta. Without family nearby, I experienced many emotional and financial struggles here. During my worst times, I focused my attention on my relationship with God and trusted in His plans for me. During these struggles, my relationship with God grew significantly and I know all things are possible.
I plan to utilize this study program at CLI to grow personally and spiritually while becoming more actively involved in my jail ministry call. I have volunteered for a prison correspondence program for about a year and look forward to diving into that on a deeper level. The materials presented in the CLI program equip me with the skills and knowledge needed to be most successful in this journey.
Learn about local ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.