Cross Making Ministry
My name is Johnny Blackmon and I have a cross making ministry. I’m from Visalia, California. I’m the father of three amazing children, Cooper, Trinity, and Johnny. I’m currently working part-time as a Psychotherapist at a children’s clinic. I recently started working in ministry and love the ways God uses us to minister his message. I was raised by my grandmother, a faithful Christian, until I was 11 years old. She exposed me to the Gospel of Jesus at a young age. By age 12, I went to live with my aunt and uncle, and eventually found myself in the foster care, juvenile detention and state prison systems.
Through hardships, I became interested in helping others and obtained college degrees which allowed me to become a counselor. In time, I married and built a family. But the windy storms of life eventually hit hard and I stumbled, learning that self-reliance and worldly solutions are not the way. I found myself baffled and broken after going through a rough separation/divorce and potentially losing my children (my little angels). The grief I experienced was overwhelming to the point at which it seemed coping was hopeless. I was much like the lame man who couldn’t see or walk on his own. Self-reliance proved to be a losing battle and I was defeated feeling spiritually dead inside.
Christ answered my cry for help on December 24th, 2017. With no hope left, I went to God out of desperation and the miracle began to unfold. The old me died and by his grace, I rose up a new man. Salvation! My new faith was unlike anything I had experienced before. I tapped into his loving and powerful existence. The Spirit has delivered me from problems of chronic depression and alcohol/drug addictions. God’s love and his promises in the Bible have given me freedom, courage, wisdom, and strength I never had before! I seek out knowledge regularly by reading his word, fellowshipping/worshipping in church and ministry, studying at Christian Leaders Institute and sharing on CLI networks. These tools have exposed me to a walk of life that provides my true purpose and a greater sense of direction.
I’ve gotten involved by using my talents to serve the Lord and help people in my personal life and community. One of my talents is landscaping and I’ve recently discovered a talent in woodworking. My friend from church called me one day and said she had dreamt about me handing out big crosses on one of the busiest streets in our city. I did not take it very seriously as I had never made a cross before. After all, where would I gather the time or materials?
A few weeks later a man randomly dropped a pile of old wood at my house. I decided I would make my friend a cross for her birthday the following week. I made the cross the best I could which did not actually turn out to be too difficult and presented it to her. Soon after, my Facebook account lit up as requests for the crosses began to pour in for my cross making ministry. People were asking if I’d sell them and how much would I charge. I prayed about the crosses and remembered the purpose of making them was to honor other people and spread God’s message. I decided not to charge but would take donations for resources instead.
I’ve personally made over 45 crosses in my cross making ministry and the list continues to grow each day. Complete strangers are requesting them and I never imagined a small act might touch so many people. I have invited other men to get involved and fellowship if they’d like to learn to make crosses and grow in faith in Jesus. We regularly look to award crosses to ambassadors or servants in the ministry, who lead others to the light, in our cross making ministry. And just as important, we try to present crosses to people going through hard times in life to help lift up their spirits (Jesus walks with them).
We pray with people and hope that the crosses will bless their hearts with a reminder about how Jesus sacrificed it all for them. We named the cross making ministry “Men of Crosses”. Today some of the crosses are being sold in a Christian Bible Store, which is located on the busiest street in our city. The money from the crosses is used to buy materials and one day fund a restoration home for single mothers in Visalia.
I’ve also started a business to increase community service which already employs two men who are growing in their faith. I teach landscaping and we fellowship as we seek to share God’s message of love and freedom in Christ. This business has been going two months and we are flooded with referrals, the name is “Johnny B. Good Lawn Service.”
The Lord saved me and would save anyone who’s willing to have faith. I feel he’s brought me through the firing lines to find wisdom and carry his message to the lost. I’ve surrendered to the Lord so he can guide my feet and my thoughts daily. I feel a calling in my life like never before. I read the Bible and seek out his purpose daily. As Paul said, I feel his spirit inside me. I mostly identify with the word Pastor or Minister, as I follow Christ and feel compelled to share the truth about God’s unconditional love whenever I can.
I would like to continue my education at the Christian Leaders Institute because I’d like to grow as a servant of Christ and unlock additional talents and opportunities to serve him. By receiving a scholarship to attend CLI, I’ll get good guidance that will enable me to be a stronger vessel to spread the Gospel of Jesus. I thank you for the opportunity to learn about the Lord and new ways to help others. Peace and blessings to all in Jesus name!
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Bible Training Opportunity
Hello! My name is Emily Beach and I have a free Bible training opportunity at Christian Leaders Institute. I was raised in Orlando, Florida, but currently, live in Jacksonville. I was raised by a Catholic mother and an atheist father. As you can imagine, the church wasn’t a huge part of my life due to that awkward combination. After my parents divorced when I was four, my mother started taking me to mass with her but that didn’t last long. She drifted from the church before I could even have the slightest understanding of who Christ was. Eventually, I figured out on my own and understood what the Gospel was but didn’t fully understand what it meant.
As life went on, I identified as a “Christian” without knowing what I was truly saying. When I was 17, I was raped by a co-worker whom I considered a friend. After that, I was a full-blown atheist just like my father. I had no faith and denied that Jesus is Lord and Savior. I made many questionable life choices like drinking and partying. My senior year, I met a boy named Stephen. We became best friends and he slowly introduced me to Christ. He was unaware of this but I became intrigued again. I was nowhere near to being saved, but I did buy a Bible so I could learn as much as possible.
My actions did not reflect Christ just yet since my Freshman year of college I was lost my entire first semester. I went out to drink and party multiple times a week. I also slept around with who knows how many guys. And then Devin came along. I met Devin through Tinder and who would know that he is the reason I found Christ. After a few weeks of dating, he invited me to attend his church called Fruit Cove Baptist Church. I instantly felt welcomed and at home there. I started to attend every week. I then started to attend the young women’s Bible study every Tuesday night. I slowly started to commit myself more and more to this church. One day during service, we were talking about the resurrection and I started to cry. The service was so moving and everything hit me at once. Jesus is the Savior sent by God to show his love for us. Jesus did, in fact, die on the cross for our sins, he did rise from the tomb, and he will come again. Everything clicked at once and I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was saved at the age of nineteen and baptized two months later.
Since then, I transferred to UNF which is closer to my church and my church family. Everything has been going well with the support and love of those I surround myself with. And now, I have a Bible training opportunity at Christian Leaders Insitute and I am excited to see what God has in store for me!
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Kazakhstan Ministry Training
My name is Veronika and I am receiving Kazakhstan ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute. I am from Astana, Kazakhstan. The main two religions here are Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity. We also have Catholic, Judaism, and other minor religions. By law, it is forbidden to preach in public places, only in registered religious organizations. Overall, it is not very strict, but you have to be very careful where and how you talk about God.
I have always believed in God. For me, God was one and did not matter how I called him (Jesus, Allah, Buddha). As a child, I would always pray and talk to Him. Once I became older, I started thinking that religions are just various paths that lead to God. I had this idea that Russian people believe in Jesus, we believe in our ancestors who are now with God, Arab people believe in Allah, so as far as you are a good person and following one of these paths, you are good. So, I would go to a church, to a mosque, to visit my ancestors’ cemetery and I did not feel guilty that I was going to church and not to a mosque. It was more about what was more convenient that day. I had never read the Bible nor the Qoran.
When I was 28, I was lost and confused about life and everything that was going on in my life. My sister was having major problems with her family. We grew up close to each other and I consider my sister as my second mom and her husband is like my real brother, father, and friend. They were going through some tough times. Since their problems were not my problems (as my psychiatrist said), I should live a happy life. I tried moving to another city just to leave all my problems in my hometown. I was in financial debt and was in a depression. So when my sister’s family was discussing their divorce (and to me, they were my role model family and my ideal couple), I stopped believing in marriage.
Finally, I saw no point in living on this planet. I did not think of committing suicide. I just lived one day at a time with no hope nor any happiness. In my mind though, I was having so many questions about God, about people, about life, and why I am here. One day, I met my friend’s friend and she invited me to get coffee. That day we talked about God and most of my questions were answered. She is a Christian. After that, I started going to her small group meetings. One day, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. My life became so different once I felt that Jesus loved me.
I have not thought about my ministry dream until now in my Kazakhstan ministry training. I am still trying to identify my talents and how I can use them to serve. In general, I would love to connect different people around the world particularly Christians and unite them. I think that if the churches from all over the world were united and could see that we are one body of Jesus, we would make our God’s church stronger. In this matter, we need to communicate with each other. We could work together to reach others and show that no matter where you are and what nationality you are, the Christian family is big, strong, united, loving, caring, and one.
This first class in my Kazakhstan ministry training with Christian Leaders Institute has helped me to reevaluate my priorities, rethink my values, and made me start searching for my talents. I identify most with a small group leader because I am an introvert and I feel safe and comfortable at home. I like having causal atmosphere conversations at home with just a few people. I believe in small groups and I know how powerful they can be in serving the Lord. I think I am a hospitable person and would be a good small group leader.
I am not involved in any ministry right now. However, the Lord has been so gracious to me that I want other people to experience what I am experiencing. I see so many people are living busy lives and inside their souls are empty with no joy. They are stressed, anxious and having many problems. I want to help those people and show them that they can live much happier lives with Jesus. Surely, I still do have problems and concerns, but with Jesus, I have that peace that the world does not give and I feel safe. I try to solve my problems, but I am living in joy and peace.
For me personally, there is a big challenge to stay here during the winter. Winter lasts for 6 months, I hate cold weather and my prayer starts with asking God to give me courage and strength to stay happy and not get into a bad mood because of cold. I always try to leave my city during the winter. I am still praying if God will relocate me to another city where it is warm.
My local church will surely support me in my ministry, I have to decide it first. In my family, I am the only Christian in my entire family. So far, some of them are supportive (they just say “Do what makes you happy”), and some of them are totally against it.
This scholarship at CLI in my Kazakhstan ministry training will give me the opportunity to study the Bible more and to get to know Lord better. It will give me a documentation about my education in case I will need it in future, and it will help me to identify my talents which I will use to serve the Lord.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.