Clear Calling
God calls different people in different ways; sometimes he quietly calls one person while he uses distinct things to call another. Either way God gives clear calling. God used great signs and miracles to show his clear calling in CLI graduate, Jeffery Frederick’s life.
My name is Jeffrey Frederick, and I live in the state of Florida in the United States of America. Ministry work is a double-edged sword in our country because we have a lot of mainstream television shows that place content into viewers that is biased and untruthful
As for my walk with God and knowing the Lord, I have known Him since I can remember my Mom and her twin brother were born on Christmas day. And, to the best of my knowledge I have always believed Jesus was our Lord and Savior and died on the cross to pay for our sins. However, my first real encounter with the Lord was in 1996 when I had three surgeries on my right hand after almost severing my middle and ring finger. I was released to go back to work on light duty (no heavy lifting, etc.) and just left the doctor’s office, and I was not wearing my seatbelt while driving. I was at a stop sign, and He said aloud to me, “Put your seatbelt on.” I ignored it and said out loud, “This is my truck. Don’t tell me what to do.” So, I kept on driving, and a few minutes later He said, “Put your seatbelt on dummy.” I thought that was a little personal, but I thought hey, I better put it on. So, I continued my way heading home from the doctor’s office. I was crossing over the road into my neighborhood a speeding car went around 4 or 5 cars in the turn lane to go straight through the red light and hit the passenger side of my little pickup truck, sending metal and debris flying. When I finally came to rest in the neighbor’s front evergreen hedge, I was covered with soda and evergreen leaves stuck to me. Needless to say, had the Lord not spoken to me I would not be here and would have suffered more injuries than I did. As a result of that accident, I had fractured (broken) vertebrae in my neck and lower back and sustained a shoulder injury that required arthroscopic surgery to restore movement to my left arm. By the grace and mercy of our Father God, I can walk and was never paralyzed and through the healing of Christ I feel better now than I did 20 years ago.
Jeffery survived that accident because God had a clear calling for Jeffery.
My dream in ministry is to bring old-fashioned revival to the Central Florida area, where as a young man I had seen revival tents set up on corners all over. It is my vision to minister to others in a tent revival setting on the shores of the beach, as well as during surfing competitions as I am an avid surfer and competitor. This would be the ultimate fit to lead my peers in worship and be able to introduce young people to the Lord.
I identify with Pastor or Preacher being raised in the south, because in church here those who preach the Gospel are in fact referred to as “preachers.”
Jeffery had another extraordinary experience that once again confirmed God’s clear calling for him to work in ministry.
I was called into ministry while I was painting a friend’s house earlier this year. As I was painting on a ladder I had a video vision of me preaching to a large audience of believers and unbelievers alike. Friends and the woman God has blessed my life with; all were in attendance to hear God’s word. I climbed down from the ladder and called the woman whom God has blessed me with and said, “Honey, you’re not going to believe this.” I told her the vision I had and she said, “No way!” I said, “Honey, I’m being serious.” And she said, “I mean no way, because I saw the same vision.”
Jeffery is thankfully for all the support he has received in his clear calling from his church and family.
Challenges of my geographic location are very other than insects and storms.
My local church is supporting me in my calling because on more than one occasion several members have said, “You should be a pastor.” This was after talking to them through the Holy Spirit blessing me with the words to speak and the fire that burns inside of me for our Lord Jesus Christ.
My closest family members remaining are my Dad and my older brother Kevin, and they both say that I have the passion within me to serve the Lord in this excellent role.
Jeffery also is thankful to CLI for allowing him to be able to pursue his clear calling and desire to bring the gospel and change to this world.
CLI has made it possible to become a Preacher. At the beginning of the year I was homeless, without a job, just relocated back to Florida after four years of being in Maryland and had no transportation. Without CLI there would be very little possibility to serve the Lord in this capacity. Since February I have been blessed with a place to live, transportation and odd jobs to support myself, so all praise and glory be to God for blessing me with this opportunity to serve His Most High and to witness to others of His grace, mercy and unfailing love for us.
I would ask for prayer for my ministry to grow in the sense that I also have a vision of tithing into the community as well as the Body of Christ. I pray that through the development of the ministry I am blessed to grow, that I may serve others and be a shepherd to the Lord, leading lost souls as well as new ones to Jesus. By the way, this is just a small sampling of my testimony to Christ and His grace and mercy that He has shown me. May God bless all of my fellow CLI students and alumni in their ministries and let us be the change the world needs through love, peace, mercy and grace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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My name is James Fleurent, a father of seven grown wonderful children, a beautiful wife, and an average life in California, USA. Quite frankly, I am not sure what God has planned for me for the rest of my life. But his Holy Spirit has called on me, and I am positive he will reveal his plan for me as I feel he has led me here to CLI. I was brought up Catholic, and graduated from a Catholic high school on the east coast. I did some college and wandered through life giving Jesus just a small part of me. It seemed an occasional Sunday and prayer was all the time I had for him. God was good to me though providing a good job and two homes to own. It was like he gave me the world and I had not even asked for it.
Then five years ago, (I am 63 now) I got sick. I was diagnosed with stage four mantle cell lymphoma. The prognosis? Three months or so, or a few years if I underwent a radical chemo regimen at the City Of Hope in Duarte, California. The chemo was a brutal week of four or more chemicals non stop in the hospital, then two weeks home to recover, then back for another week and so on for 5 months. Many in this cancer trial died, but the Lord helped me through it. The fifth and sixth month I spent full time at the hospital rebuilding my immune system and collecting stem cells for a bone marrow transplant. We spent those six months in prayer, and Jesus answered his not so faithful servant.
Seven days before my scheduled transplant, I awakened in the middle of the night from a nightmare. Or, more exactly, my wife awakened me as I was screaming in my sleep (she spent every night in a chair in my room). I had the same dream each night for seven days. It was with me looking down a vortex, a tornado type structure that was black, and I would get sucked down to the bottom. Down there it was cold and I could feel souls full of hate and despair, even though it was dark and I could not see. I would scream and wake up. The seventh night, the night before my transplant, I was dreaming and got sucked up a white vortex! It was warm and blinding white as I felt souls around me full of love and kindness. I yelled out for my departed mother, but no one could hear me as I was not one of them. As I awoke to tell my wife, I had a vision of Jesus; I was wide awake and he was in front of me. He said two words—— “You’re alright,” and he faded away.
My wife and I spent much time talking about my encounter, and where it would lead us. First thing was back to church, and we were born again in Jesus. What does this mean? What do I do? I do not know, but am sure Christ will reveal his plan to me. Since 2011, my cancer has been in remission, and I share my story with all who will listen. This has lead me to CLI. We sold both homes and cars to live through this test and now reside in a mobile home, but are so thankful to God for more time to spread his word. I am disabled with arthritis and problems from the chemo. With little income, I am thankful God has shown me CLI so I can continue to learn, and spread his word. I know what God’s love is now, and have exceeded my life expectancy twofold, and with his grace I continue.
As to the definition of love, we babysit our grand children. One day, as my five year old granddaughter Rubi (we have been blessed with 13) was going out the front door, she said ” I love you Papa.” I said back “Rubi, do you know what love is? I can tell you (of my love for Jesus).” She said, “Yes, it is like today when Mimi (Grandma) said she had a bad back, then she bent over and helped you put on your shoes.” “Yes, Rubi, that’s how we love, and God loves us.”
Having little financially, I am grateful that God led me to CLI so I can continue to grow and spread Christ and Christian teachings.
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Young Commitment
Young commitment to Christ is becoming less and less common. One CLI graduate hopes to see that change.
Hello. My name is Danielle Gardner and I live in Brooklyn, NY. I work for a pharmaceutical company; working in the scientific field can be difficult sometimes as a Christian since a large percentage of my co-workers are atheists. Combine that with living in the New York City area and ministry can be challenging. In the NY metropolitan area there are approximately 22.5 million people, with 45% of them having no religious affiliation and only 4% affiliated with an evangelical church
Danielle is someone who experienced young commitment to Christ when she became a Christian at the age of five.
When I was 5 years old, my Mom and I were driving in Philadelphia and she was worried because one of our brake lights was out. She asked me if something was to happen and we were to die, did I know where I would go. That may seem like an odd question to ask a child, but my older brother had passed away the year before due to cancer so death was very real to me. I told her I hoped heaven but I wasn’t really sure. She explained to me how I could be sure. I thought about it some, I knew that I did things that were wrong, and I knew I needed Jesus to forgive me. Later that night I prayed, asked Jesus to forgive me and come into my life. I wish I could say life has been all rainbows and puppy dog kisses since then, but it hasn’t. I have experienced difficulties and loss but through it all God has been faithful to me, giving me the strength I need even when I haven’t always been faithful to him.
Danielle is very thankful that God has allowed her to work with young adults and children. She loves when she sees young commitment to Christ, she feels that more young people need to be rooted in Christ.
I work with both the children and young adults in my church. In our children’s program, one of the biggest obstacles we face is parents who do not want their children to have anything to do with the church. About 10 years ago, my church went through a painful split and the children’s program fell into my lap, I had planned to help out for a little bit and then pass it on to someone else. However, as time went on I developed a heart for these children. I have come to realize that it is so important for children to make a true commitment at an early age and develop a love for God and reading his word. My work with the young adults has shown me how important it is to make a young commitment to Christ and develop the habit of walking with Him, so that as life gets busy, the priorities are already there. With the young adults I always hear how life is so fast paced that they are always “too busy” for anything church and often God related.
Danielle is training so she can lead in even more young commitment to Christ through increased knowledge at CLI.
I am hoping with these classes to improve as a teacher, to be better able to communicate and encourage those I am teaching while pushing myself to learn and grow more in my spiritual walk.
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