Christian Leaders Resource – How God Changed My Life

Christian Leaders Resource

A Christian Leaders Resource like a scholarship-driven free ministry training is rare. Christian Leaders Institute is a generosity-driven school that give this Christian Leaders Resource to eveyone who complete the getting started connection class. Here is a story from Lance Fisher:

My name is Lance Fisher and I am 52 years old. I have 6 children (3 boys from my first marriage, 3 boys from my wife’s first marriage), and 3 grandchildren. I am married to my best friend Lisa. I grew up in a good home with wonderful parents, and a basic knowledge of God. We were Catholic but only attended church on holidays. I was baptized Catholic when I was 18 years old. I went to college for a year in Pennsylvania, but dropped out and joined the Marines. I served 8 years in the Marines. I married young (20 yrs old), and had children immediately. Life was difficult, mainly because I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. After the Marines, I was tired of being poor and decided to start my own business – DayStar Corporation. DayStar was started in my basement during the days, while I worked nights as a Maintenance Mechanic at Frito-Lay. DayStar Corp was a high-tech manufacturing business where I designed and built custom vision and laser inspection systems for manufacturing companies. The business grew fast and was highly successful. It was also very difficult and become extremely stressful. During my time in the Marines and afterwards, I used alcohol as a means to cope. This grew and intensified as my business grew. It eventually came to a head, when my business was at it’s peak, but my marriage was ending. I ended up divorcing and shutting down my business. I realized the problem I had with alcohol, so I quit. This was a very hard thing to do, but it saved my life. I have not had a drink since that day, over 20 years ago. I met my current wife Lisa and got married. Lisa was an Episcopalian.

I got my Life & Health Insurance license and started a new business. I decided to help Senior Citizens since they were easily and often preyed upon victims. We moved to Florida and were in the process of buying a house. We stayed at my brothers house for about a month while we searched and purchased a home. During this time, I would often stay up late and read from my brother’s large volume of Christian books. One night, all alone at around 2am, I came to realize that I never knew God and that I needed a Savior and forgiveness of sin. I was born again in that moment when I surrendered my life to Christ. From the moment of my rebirth, the world came alive and my heart felt joy like never before. God instantly and daily worked on me inside, which was noticed outwardly. I devoured the Bible and we joined a local church (New Life Assemblies of God), where I was mentored by pastor Randy Burt. I started working with young children in the Royal Rangers program. Within a very short period of time, my wife and I began a home Bible study, which eventually led to a home church that had regular attendance of over 50 people. Over the next few years, I served as an itinerant pastor, associate pastor at The Center of Hope, senior pastor of Independent Pentecostal Church, and missionary to Guatemala, Haiti, and Africa. We have since moved from Florida and lived in several states due to my wife’s job. Because of my lack of “formal” training, I was never accepted as a local leader in any of the churches after we moved. It was humbling and difficult for me to accept, but I decided that was where God wanted me and I was to submit and learn from it. And that is what I did. We were a part of a number of churches that we truly loved.

I have always had an insatiable hunger for the Word of God and a desire to continually grow closer to God. I am so excited about Christian Leaders Institute! What a blessing for this world!! My desire is to become a sponge and soak up as much learning as I can from CLI. And because I believe highly in a giver’s model of life, I plan to do so with CLI. It is such a great opportunity to give to this cause of raising up Revival Leaders. After I finish my training I will go wherever God calls me. I am leaving that in God’s wonderful hands and trusting His plan for the rest of my life. I do plan on getting the Bachelors Degree of Divinity and with this “formal” training, other doors of ministry opportunities will surely open.

Ministering in the US is quite a bit different than ministering in the third world countries that I went to. In the US, I have found that people have a hard time acknowledging their need for God or a Savior because there is so much wealth in this country. People have god’s and idols all around them. There is the god of the refrigerator, the god of the hospital, the god of fast food, the god of TV & internet, etc….. People do not see through these vanities, to the wonder of the God who created it all. It is quite different when ministering in a third world country. The people generally do not have this wealth, these idols and gods. Their life is quite simplistic and they can readily accept a God that heals and forgives. They NEED God and desperately want Him when He is shown to them. The memories of my visits to these countries will stay with me forever.

My ministry dream is to become one with God as Jesus was one with God. I believe the closer we can become like Jesus, the more God can use it to share the light of His love in a hurting world. I greatly desire that this world comes to the knowledge of the Way, the Truth, & the Life only found in Jesus. I am not much on titles, except slave to my Master – Jesus Christ. I love it when people come to a higher truth found in Him, when new churches are planted and the love of God is spread in a community. My passion is to preach and proclaim the gospel.

I am so excited to be a part of CLI and intend to take full advantage of the wonderful Christian Leaders resource available to me. I believe that Mentor Centers are an incredible opportunity to promote growth within a region. We are fighting a spiritual battle each and every day, and when Christians come together in a setting like a Mentor Center, the enemy does not stand a chance. The light will spread in this area and the darkness will flee…..

The Word of God is living and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12…… This is one of my favorite passages in scripture. Mainly because it touches me so deeply. The Word of God has completely changed me. I am a different person. Not the same man I was before Christ. And the Word of God did this. It transformed me from the inside – out. The passage says the Word can divide the soul from the spirit. I believe that! Our soul is convicted when the spirit is fed the Word of God. We are shown the ugliness of our nature and sin. This is a godly sorrow which brings about repentance and transformation. It is such a beautiful thing!

The scholarship that is available through CLI is such an amazing Christian Leaders Resource for our world!  I truly believe this will change my life in ways I cannot imagine. I am looking forward to the amazing things that this wonderful opportunity shall bring.

Blessings in Christ,
Lance