I have known the Lord since I was about 14 years old. Getting to know him, with a small home group of believers, was such a huge blessing. I started this course because I truly want to know Him better and also so I will be fully qualified to lead others to the Lord at His bidding. There was nothing particularly spectacular about my life.
I was born in Okemah, OK in November 1971 and by the time I was about 6 months old my family was living in Alaska. I spent about 37 years there and just a few years ago moved back to Oklahoma; following my parents as they have both moved back. They are no longer together. My mother has remarried, but my father has not.
My father drank a little more than he should have. My mother nagged and ate herself to 300 lbs. They fought at times, but they never let my younger brother and I see or hear it. Other than this there was really nothing good or bad to tell. We were an upper middle-class family and I have had a job since I was 13 years old. I went to college, getting a Bachelor’s of Arts with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. I paid for it with student loans I am still paying for.
I have been married twice and ultimately I will have been divorced twice before I finish this course. I have one biological son and two step-daughters from my second marriage – whom I love with all my heart and consider them my own. Through it all the Lord has never left me or forsaken me. He is a kind and loving God who is not willing to lose a single one of His beloved if He can help it and for whatever reason He has seen fit to continue to peruse me, diligently when I have gone astray. As a young girl my mother gave me a Christian reader and in this book was the scripture Isaiah 41:10. It has been my favorite all my life. I want nothing more than to share this God with the world. A God, who even when forced to chastise, does it with a loving tenderness, it is the conviction which hurts the most. Being a leader is in my nature, He gave me this characteristic; I must follow it.
I have studied with some amazing people in my life. I have learned more and more as it seems the time grows shorter and shorter. Seems to be speeding up as well; as if I will have barely enough time to finish this and get a degree. It seems as if the “world” is falling apart. Our believer values have gone by the wayside, replaced by bathroom issues and the value of a Gorilla’s life vs. that of a young child – as if there is even a question. But then again maybe there is a question as to the value of a child’s life. I recently seen a Hillary Clinton Campaign commercial and it was children watching and listening to some things Trump had said and the slogan was “Our Children Are Watching.” Then it dawned on me, what does she really care what our children are watching when she is a proponent of late, LATE – term abortions up to 36 weeks. These babies are considered totally viable outside the womb. They would not even attempt to stop or even slow labor at 36 weeks. It is things like this which make me wonder about the world and how can she not see the contradiction in her supposed beliefs? How does everyone else not see it? Is this some more of the “blindness” the scriptures talk about; the blindness we believers have always understood to mean it was only we who were blind, but now we see. Only recently has it occurred to me there will be some, many (as many are called and few are chosen) many who will remain blind.
What have we come to? We are living in a time of easy-button Christians with the unbelievable attitude that anything goes and there is nothing to be done, there are no requirements, or behaviors to change. I have come to a point in my life I have to wonder if I want to be associated with the word “Christian” anymore since there about a billion people following the hype they are being fed by a gleaming-toothed Pharisee and everyone is just eating it up and believing they have no responsibilities to our Lord.
My soul aches at the tragic loss we will see in the near future when He returns and says “I never knew you.” And they all stand around in shock and disbelief. This has been a brief, but real look at me, Monica. The questions, the thoughts, the beliefs, and concerns in my heart and in my mind. This life, no matter how long, is so very fleeting. I want this tiny bit of my time here to matter, to have made a difference, had an impact on someone’s life for Him. I want Him to recognize me and say “well done, good and faithful servant – now do this… (some more important task – as the servant who was faithful over a little therefore will be trusted and given so much, much more).
My earnest prayer is my God would know me and be proud of me. I want only to do whatever is His will. I know this education is a right and blessed choice. I have no idea what happens next, but I can hardly wait to find out! Thank you Christian Leaders Institute for this amazing, FREE, education – without this option I would never have been given such an opportunity.
Praise be on to him who created all things. Blessed be the name of the Lord on high. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Christian Leaders Institute for devoting so much time and effort into making sure that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is reaching far beyond borders unheard of. May the God of Bethel, he who is the Horn of Our Salvation continue to bless and keep you. I pray that by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ I will find the knowledge I am seeking. I want to teach God’s words and be able to touch lives, change the situation and heal people around me. Having the scholarship to acquire the information that CLI gives through the wealth of ministry material will be very impactful to my journey with God. I pray that God continues to bless the work that CLI is doing for people like us who are in constant quest for the truth; may he never leave nor forsake our hearts and may he keep the fire burning in us. Amen!
I am a war survivor from Sierra Leone, West Africa. I have raised a Muslim, but Christ found me in January 2013, and he has been having been faithful to my family and me. By his grace, I want to continue to seek a deeper knowledge of his word.
I discovered Christian Leaders Institute like many before me, from searching the Internet for a free Bible ministry education, and I will be forever grateful I did. Since I signed up for the ministry leadership training, my life has been transforming right before my very eye. Every day, I wake up with the word of God, my relationship with him, his grace to be upon me, and walk with God in general on my mind. By the end of my day, I have listened to Bible passages, my work requires me to drive a lot, prayed, sang songs of joy, and have logged into CLI and done my reading and watched videos. My days are going by fast now with little or no coffee.
I pray to God for blessings of the works of my hands, so I can be a blessing to others, including doing my part to promote the vision/efforts of CLI. I have a story that connects me to donation-base causes like what CLI is promoting. I came to the US under a refugee program, after surviving one of the most brutal civil wars in human history, the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone in West Africa, by the grace of God of course. What is interesting here is that during those ten years that God covered me with a hedge of protection against bullets and evil men, I had not given my life to Christ. It’s amazing how he still covered me with his blood.
The purchase of my ticket to the US was sponsored by members of the Lutheran Church. I did not have to belong to their church, just the heart of God in his people. Upon my arrival to the US, I found a job, and I worked to repay my ticket, not because the Church was adamantly asking for the money, but to help the church sponsor other refugees like me get out of languishing situations around the world. I just wanted to share that and encourage us to a life of being our brothers’ keepers. God bless you all and continue to grow in your love of Christ and keep walking with our God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let us be blessings to one another, and because I know that God has already blessed you, I can only say, stay blessed!
I Mrs. Ruth Usha Paul Rainer from India, Maharashtra state, lives in Aurangabad.
I’m saved by the grace of Jesus Christ my Lord and my God. I came from a Hindu background.At the age of 5 years, my grandmother taught me to worship snake as a god. In my first grade, I had a poem describing God’s beautiful nature, sun, moon and stars. I would think, how beautiful are all these created things! Then the Creator God must be very beautiful. At the age seven, I once entered the inner room of a Hindu temple, where our village’s deity (a big & tall stone statue) was kept.
Women were forbidden to enter. When I first saw that big giant idol, it was fearful and seeing this god I was disappointed. How can a beautiful God be like this? Who then would be the Creator God? Moreover, I had many questions about God. After visiting that temple, I started having dreams with big snakes daily. We’d celebrate all Indian festivals & I’d participate in all heathen worship. That year I brought one human skull from the cemetery. I’d see all magic shows in our village. Once I was made as a goddess in a play, after which I fell sick. Since we had school only up to seventh (standard) in my village,
I was put in a Hindu boarding school for my higher education. Being far away from my parents, I decided to be nice: I even tried to burn a mark on my forearm, that when I’d see the scar, I’d remember to be good. But Alas! My decision didn’t last even a week. I felt very sad cause I wanted to be good, but couldn’t. I started thinking seriously. If I couldn’t make myself good, then only God can. But which god will make me good? At that time, I was worshipping many gods.
Then I thought, there must be a True and Living God, who can wash me from within and make me a good person. So I started praying like this: “O True and Living God, whoever you may be, give me an inner bath, wash me from within, so I will be good. I’ve tried to be good but have failed.” I prayed this prayer for almost five years. Many times I’d think(of washing), if I washed my intestines with soap and water (to be)then I’d be clean within. I worshipped idols daily and would spend time in Hindu temples.
After I stood first in my high school final exam, I took admission in a college and in a Hindu hostel. But by then, my all thoughts became unclean; I wanted clean and holy thoughts. I tried my best to have clean thoughts but all my attempts of a pure heart failed. Then I prayed more earnestly to an idol saying, “Please give me pure & holy thoughts”. But I did not get any holiness. Then I stopped all prayers and accepted atheism. But I had no peace, nor happiness. After consulting a fortune teller and believing the horoscope, I concluded my life as useless. And life without a God is hopeless. These thoughts led me to commit suicide. But then by God’s grace, I heard about Jesus on 20thDec1974, through Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship International.
For the first time I experienced God speaking to me. I heard Jeremiah 4:14 & 13:27. I understood that Jesus came to clean me from within and give me true joy & peace and God knows all about me and is asking me to clean my heart from all evil. I prayed, “Lord Jesus, I know I am a great sinner”. The day following I bought a Bible and was reading it & prayed to Jesus to forgive all my sins. I gave my heart to Jesus. Praise God! Jesus came in my life, He forgave all my sins. God spoke & assured me that I am His daughter. He enabled me to ask pardon from whomsoever I had wronged. I restituted all my thefts; cleansed my conscience before God & men and received assurance of salvation through Isaiah 44:22. Praise The Lord, He redeemed me! My dirty thoughts had gone, I got a clean heart filled with peace and joy. The Bible became sweet to me and I’ve read it 42 times until now.
In 1975 in a vision, Lord Jesus visited me and said, “Follow me.” As per God’s will in 1982 I resigned my Government job and went for Bible training. By God’s grace, I got back the job. I married Paul Rainer in1989; we have two daughters. We serve the Lord as a family.
In 1992, when I was on the operation table for a C-section and was serious. There I saw a vision of Jesus whose height reached up to the sky and His breadth filled the earth, and I was just a tiny dot standing there. I was amazed to see our great God. He made me understand that all humans are nothing before Him. Then I heard His voice, “I care for you.” I know my heavenly Father is the caring God.
In 1996 I had the vision to serve God in a new place. Therefore we moved from Mumbai to Aurangabad as self-supporting missionaries. The Lord Jesus healed me of my severe pulmonary hypertension in 2014.
I was praying for the Lord’s leading in Bible study and found the CLI website. My husband Rainer and I started studying the Bible through CLI. We praise God for this study; I learned about God’s greatness, His love, doctrine of Godhead, Church History, Theology lessons and I liked them all.
About 50 to 70 people come to our 2nd-floor house church in an apartment. I take the Bible study & my husband preaches. We need a place for worship on the ground floor. Please pray that we may remain faithful to God until the end. Thanks for free education at CLI.
I Mrs. Ruth Usha Paul Rainer from India, Maharashtra state, lives in Aurangabad.
I’m saved by the grace of Jesus Christ my Lord and my God. I came from a Hindu background.At the age of 5 years, my grandmother taught me to worship snake as a god. In my first grade, I had a poem describing God’s beautiful nature, sun, moon and stars. I would think, how beautiful are all these created things! Then the Creator God must be very beautiful. At the age seven, I once entered the inner room of a Hindu temple, where our village’s deity (a big & tall stone statue) was kept. Women were forbidden to enter. When I first saw that big giant idol, it was fearful and seeing this god I was disappointed. How can a beautiful God be like this? Who then would be the Creator God?
Moreover, I had many questions about God. After visiting that temple, I started having dreams with big snakes daily. We’d celebrate all Indian festivals & I’d participate in all heathen worship. That year I brought one human skull from the cemetery. I’d see all magic shows in our village. Once I was made as a goddess in a play, after which I fell sick. Since we had school only up to seventh (standard) in my village, I was put in a Hindu boarding school for my higher education. Being far away from my parents, I decided to be a good girl: I even tried to burn a mark on my forearm, that when I’d see the scar, I’d remember to be good. But Alas! My decision didn’t last even a week. I felt very sad cause I wanted to be good, but couldn’t. I started thinking seriously. If I couldn’t make myself good, then only God can. But which god will make me good? At that time, I was worshipping many gods.
Then I thought, there must be a True and Living God, who can wash me from within and make me a good person. So I started praying like this: “O True and Living God, whoever you may be, give me an inner bath, wash me from within, so I will be good. I’ve tried to be good but have failed.” I prayed this prayer for almost five years. Many times I’d think(of washing), if I washed my intestines with soap and water (to be)then I’d be clean within. I worshipped idols daily and would spend time in Hindu temples.
After I stood first in my high school final exam, I took admission in a college and in a Hindu hostel. But by then, my all thoughts became unclean; I wanted clean and holy thoughts. I tried my best to have clean thoughts but all my attempts of a pure heart failed. Then I prayed more earnestly to an idol saying, “Please give me pure & holy thoughts”. But I did not get any holiness. Then I stopped all prayers and accepted atheism. But I had no peace, nor happiness. After consulting a fortune teller and believing the horoscope, I concluded my life as useless. And life without a God is hopeless. These thoughts led me to commit suicide. But then by God’s grace, I heard about Jesus on 20thDec1974, through Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship International. For the first time I experienced God speaking to me. I heard Jeremiah 4:14 & 13:27.
I understood that Jesus came to clean me from within and give me true joy & peace and God knows all about me and is asking me to clean my heart from all evil. I prayed, “Lord Jesus, I know I am a great sinner”. The day following I bought a Bible and was reading it & prayed to Jesus to forgive all my sins. I gave my heart to Jesus. Praise God! Jesus came in my life, He forgave all my sins. God spoke & assured me that I am His daughter. He enabled me to ask pardon from whomsoever I had wronged. I restituted all my thefts; cleansed my conscience before God & men and received assurance of salvation through Isaiah 44:22. Praise The Lord, He redeemed me! My dirty thoughts had gone, I got a clean heart filled with peace and joy. The Bible became sweet to me and I’ve read it 42 times until now.
In 1975 in a vision, Lord Jesus visited me and said, “Follow me.” As per God’s will in 1982 I resigned my Government job and went for Bible training. By God’s grace, I got back the job. I married Paul Rainer in1989; we have two daughters. We serve the Lord as a family.
In 1992, when I was on the operation table for a C-section and was serious. There I saw a vision of Jesus whose height reached up to the sky and His breadth filled the earth, and I was just a tiny dot standing there. I was amazed to see our great God. He made me understand that all humans are nothing before Him. Then I heard His voice, “I care for you.” I know my heavenly Father is the caring God.
In 1996 I had the vision to serve God in a new place. Therefore we moved from Mumbai to Aurangabad as self-supporting missionaries. The Lord Jesus healed me of my severe pulmonary hypertension in 2014.
I was praying for the Lord’s leading in Bible study and found the CLI website. My husband Rainer and I started studying the Bible through CLI. We praise God for this study; I learned about God’s greatness, His love, doctrine of Godhead, Church History, Theology lessons and I liked them all.
About 50 to 70 people come to our 2nd-floor house church in an apartment. I take the Bible study & my husband preaches. We need a place for worship on the ground floor. Please pray that we may remain faithful to God until the end. Thanks for free education at CLI.