How God Found Me in the Dark
Earn your Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity today. Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) offers free high-quality online ministry training. CLI accepts any individual anywhere in their life to learn about Christianity. Read a student’s testimony below who explains how God found her in the dark. She found CLI as a tool to rediscover the pathway to Christ:
My name is Christine Winn, I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Now I live in Springfield, Missouri, the USA with my American Pitbull Terrier “Baby Girl”. I am a certified medication technician and I have been working in the nursing field for 10 years. In 2015 my father and I published the first book in a Christian fiction series titled “Rapture Theory Book I: Rise of the Anti-Christ”. At first, my family’s religion was Catholicism until my grandfather converted to Christianity. Therefore my parents, who were both baptized, raised my siblings and me as Christians.
When I did attend church as a child I remember waiting with anticipation for Sunday school to end so I could hear the preacher’s sermon. I also loved listening to my father and my uncle’s debate over each of their own interpretations of the Bible. The first time I asked Jesus into my heart was at church summer camp. Even there my favorite thing to do was go to Chapel. As I got older my family suffered tragedies that caused me to fall away from my faith.
My 18-month-old sister died in a fire when I was six years old. My parents grew angry at themselves and one another over the accident. They eventually lead our family to another accidental tragedy of my mother’s death by struggling over a gun she was trying to use on my father than herself, I was 13 years old. That lead me down a very dark path as a teen and young adult. A life full of sexual and physical abuse, premarital relations, alcohol, and drugs. A life I never thought that I would have. After a scare with the law, I prayed a promise to God if I got out of it I would give my life over to him. Not long after that prayer I was set free. I decided it was time to clean myself up and finish school, so I did.
I was doing the right things by societal standards but I was still living my life the way I wanted to live it without regard to building a relationship with God. My Earthly relationships were more important to me. I ended up with a failed marriage, a suicidal attempt & cancer before I began a reassessment of my priorities and purpose in life. All this by the ripe old age of 27. I never had children before cancer took that possibility away so I found myself needing to do a soul search of why I am here. During my surgeries, I was helping coauthor the book I wrote with my father. It helped me from falling apart at that time altogether.
Still, I did not have a proper relationship with God. I moved away from my whole family to live alone in a new city over 2 hours away. As I’ve been digging within myself and my heart I have felt the call. I thought about all the terrible times in my life and looking back I can see how God was there and called out to me. I’m ashamed that it all comes down to the same reason why I ignored those calls, fear of what others might say or think about me. More so fear that given my history they would ridicule me for even thinking I could ever walk with God. I know now none of that matters. I’m ready now, after enduring my own personal trials and tribulations, to answer God’s call. I am amazed at how God found me in the dark.
What I hope to complete is the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity. I will then use my training for many different purposes. I believe God has given me the gift of being a great listener and speaker. I also feel a deep empathy for those in the world who are suffering. Some things I’d like to do would include going on mission trips all over the world, help bring back God into what seems to be a godless society more and more every day, as well as participating in local ministry through non-profits for those suffering alcohol/drug addictions but especially being a child abuse prevention advocate. I know the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity would help me accomplish my dreams and goals. I’m only just now getting involved in attending a local church since I am new to the area but I know I’ll find the perfect one to help mentor me to accomplish these goals as well.
That all being said I couldn’t accomplish any of this without the Christian Leaders Institute scholarship. I have to work full time in order to provide for myself. It’s hard to find a quality and affordable program that is flexible with the scheduling demands of healthcare. God has his purpose for me in life and I am ready to pursue that. Without the Christian Leaders Institute scholarship and the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity, I couldn’t even dream of being able to accept that journey and answer God’s call. I thank CLI for being a tool in how God found me in the dark. It will also greatly enhance my walk with God to build a strong relationship that can be tested time and time again. God bless everyone involved that’s helping make people’s dreams like mine become a reality. For that, thank you and bless you.
Christine’s story of how God found her in the dark is just one of the many stories. Check out more stories about the impact Christian Leader Institute and the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity is having in student’s lives on the CLI facebook page
Finding the Grace of God
Start free ministry training today! Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) offers free high-quality online ministry training. CLI accepts any individual anywhere in their life to learn about Christianity. Read a student’s testimony below who was a lost son of God and found CLI as a tool to finding the grace of God:
My name is Elvis James Kamau. I live in a city called Nairobi in Kenya. I am 23 years of age and by the grace of God, I am saved. Jesus Christ is my personal savior.
I am saved, but this wasn’t always the case. I was raised by a single mother in a family of three. I have two sisters. I have always known my mom to be a ‘churchwoman’ since I can remember. I am saying this because I didn’t really grasp the concept of Christianity until later. She gave me the basics at a very young age. We used to read the bible and pray every day. So in a sense, I knew God and His word. I even went through all ceremonies involved – baptism, confirmation, etc. However, it was not until I was in high school that I experienced strong spiritual revelations. I came to the realization that this is serious. There is God who desires to save us from the devil and his temptations.
I was mostly in bad company and I came to Christ a couple of times but found myself backsliding several times. I went to three different schools and my grades were poor. In my final year, I decided to just trust God and change. God showed His mercy and I excelled at school. I was even awarded a government sponsorship to pursue a degree in Computer Science. When I came to university, is when I found myself falling off the path to Christ. All that was surrounding me was the temptation of sin, alcohol, fornication, hard drugs etc. By then I had several jobs, but this did not loosen the grip the devil had me in. It was only after a series of events that God humbled me and brought me to a point of brokenness so I could seek Him. I was involved in a drunk driving accident and was almost killed. This changed my whole perspective of life. After this, I was broken and in debt, that I am still paying off. I was still doing drugs. One night, I got wasted, got into a fight, and almost bled to death. At this point, God found me. Unfortunately, it got worse before it started getting better. I started seeking spiritual enlightenment in all the wrong places. I involved myself with very many different doctrines and new age stuff.It is in the process of encountering these deceitful spirits that I found the grace of God. He revealed Himself to me in such a way I couldn’t deny. Thank you, Jesus!
So I got saved and was delivered from all of it. All my addictions stopped and God gave me the wisdom to see the truth amidst all this. In my walk with God, I desired to know Him more. I did a lot of scripture and God taught me a lot. Being a teenager, I wanted to influence my fellow friends and just explain about Jesus and what He had done for me. This is when God led me to seek ministry training. It was my desire to help others in finding the grace of God. I want to reach my fellow youth and mostly be able to pass the pure gospel of Christ. I don’t know about there, but here its mostly watered down and I just can’t take the half truths. I had no money and was even struggling with finishing my current endeavor. CLI was God’s answer for me. I couldn’t believe it and am so glad I can have quality training all the way from the US and for free.
To all the donors and supporters, may God bless you mightily. I am sure God is like -Well done good and faithful servants. This is such a blessing and a great way to get more understanding of God and our kingdom and how to relate it to our life and share it with our friends, relatives, and even strangers. I pray for your continued support and one day I know I will support it too. I hope to contribute to the creation of revival leaders and spread the gospel to all parts of the world. Thank you, CLI for helping me in finding the grace of God. God bless.
Check out more stories about students beginning their studies of ministry training on the CLI facebook page
Journey to Ministry
Start your journey to ministry today! Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) offers free high-quality online ministry training. CLI accepts any individual anywhere in their life to learn about Christianity. Read a student’s testimony below who used Christian Leaders Institute to continue his journey to ministry:
I was born and raised in Genesee county Michigan, USA. I still reside in Genesee county and currently, I am the outreach and evangelism pastor at my local church. I have been in ministry for a total of 15 years and have held numerous different positions. My wife Samantha Kelley and I are in ministry together.
At 13 years old, I felt the call of God on my life to preach. I come from a line of men of God who uphold the Christian walk and have taught and lived out the truth of who God is. My spiritual mentor is my father. My father’s spiritual mentor was his uncle, my great uncle, BL Kelley. It is my desire to continue this legacy to be the best pastor that I possibly can be. I am currently fully ordained as a minister of the gospel, and I hold an associates degree in biblical theology from Christian Leadership University. I am in a position where I can no longer afford to pay the fees associated with the traditional seminary. This scholarship would give me the ability to achieve a degree in Divinity, as well as give me the training necessary to be the best minister I can possibly be. Christian Leaders Institute will allow me to follow my dreams.
What I love about CLI so far is the quality information and training available. I’m not looking for the easy road for some online school to hand me the paper of completion. I look forward to learning the material so I can apply it to my local church. In my local area, we have a key demographic of low-income families, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken families, All of which who are in desperate need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so excited to learn in greater detail different ways I can engage our local community to present Christ. My father is the pastor of my local church, I have been called here for a reason. I do not want to have to leave my local church for a bigger denomination that has the ability to train within. The Holy Spirit spoke to me in January 2017 that I am to stay put and help my father pastor our local church. With that said, I am in need of further education and further training. I am excited to be a part of Christian Leaders Institute to continue my journey of ministry.
I was born and raised in the church but like most, I went astray for a while. Because of my personal encounter with God the Savior, I have a desire to see the lost saved and to see the broken be made whole. In my testimony, God has delivered me from drugs and alcoholism, he has delivered me from depression, PTSD from combat, and saved my life when I attempted suicide. The best advice I have ever been given to be effective in my journey to ministry is that we cannot be afraid to show our own scars. Just like when Jesus resurrected from the dead and some of those who are closest to him did not recognize him. His identifier was his scars.
I identify most with being called to serving as a Pastor because I truly have a desire to see people be filled, to see people healed, and to see people step into their calling.
My local church has been more than supportive and willing to help in any way possible to see us trained and ready for ministry. My family plays a vital role in our ministry because we have gone from absolute wreckage to reconciliation. My wife is truly my other half in ministry she encourages me, loves people, and is a prayer warrior. My children help me lead worship. We are all a package deal.
If there is anything that I can say we would ask for prayer for it is that God continues to direct our path, so we can be successful in creating disciples who will bring value to their own local church.
Sincerely thank you
Pastor Matthew Kelley
Check out more stories about students on their journey to ministry on the CLI facebook page