My name is René Boecking, and I live in Canada. I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to be educated further for ministry (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
My Journey with God
My journey with God began when I was ten years old. That was when my parents decided to attend church. I fully embraced this change in my life and loved attending Sunday School. Very soon after this, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I continued to seek the Lord and considered becoming a pastor.
However, instead, the Lord led me down a career in branding and graphic design. I married. My wife and I serve our church through teaching and leading the children and youth. We’ve organized camps and led Bible studies to highlight a few of the ways we serve. I also used my branding and design skills to build the church’s website and produce many promotional materials.
My walk with the Lord has had many peaks and valleys. A very deep valley came after I had a stroke and many other health issues a few years ago. But, God has been gracious through all the valleys, and my faith has grown stronger because of them.
Getting Educated Further for Ministry at CLI
My two children have both graduated from high school. So, I feel the Lord is leading me to further seek out ways to stretch myself for ministry opportunities. These would not just be in the church but also in a broader scope. I came across the Christian Leaders Institute. It was an answer to prayer. CLI will allow me to be educated further for ministry as I juggle family life, work life, and church life. I look forward to where my journey with the Lord will take me.
Ordination Story
I began my studies at CLI with the idea of possibly completing a certificate of some sort to give me more credibility in the field of ministry. It’s interesting how God had different ideas. As I started completing courses, I heard multiple times from friends telling me, “You should become a pastor.” What made this more surprising was that I didn’t tell anyone that I had started studying for the ministry. Only my wife and children and a couple of close friends knew.
As I became more familiar with CLI, I noticed the opportunity of becoming ordained as a Deacon Minister. I thought God seemed to be directing me in this direction, so I began working toward that. I can hardly believe this is all happening. I’m still unsure what God has in store for me, but I’ll obediently continue learning and be open to His leadership.
Besides continuing to serve in various ways, I have found myself ministering to others more often one-on-one. I am humbled that God is speaking and working through me. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that CLI has provided me to do these studies. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to do this financially. As I look back at my life, it seems more apparent now that God is preparing me for something unique. I would appreciate prayers for strength and wisdom as all this is revealed to me. Thank you.
Register for a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform, and the Programs offered, including:
- Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Exceedingly Abundantly More Than I Could Ask For or Imagine
Hello, my name is Jeromy Collins. I am being trained and equipped to minister through the online courses at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
My family and I have lived in Southern Oregon, USA, for over a year. Married for 24 years to my wife, and we have three children. Our two oldest boys married twin sisters, and our daughter is a freshman in high school. Before moving to Oregon, we raised our children in the Central Valley and Bay Area of California. We live on the same property in separate homes, attend the same church, love the Lord Jesus, and serve His Body together.
The Early Years
Around the age of six, while visiting the cabinet shop where my father worked, my father shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me. Immediately, I was changed and adopted into the family of Christ. From then on, I was on a mission to share my newfound relationship with God with everyone I knew. Then, at about the age of eleven, my parents divorced. My life was steered in a different direction. Given what I knew about my family’s belief in God, I was not expecting this in life…ever.
As a young man, I became angry and volatile. I rebelled against all authority. As often as possible, I ran away from home. Usually, I stayed with friends and even on park benches or wherever I could till the sun came up. I ended up in group homes, counseling sessions, and eventually living with my grandparents. I wouldn’t know until many years passed that the season I lived with my grandparents was incredibly impactful to me. It impacted both my life and my walk with the Lord.
My grandfather wasn’t soft on me. But, he directed my heart to the Scriptures and what it means to be a man of God indeed. He was a pastor for several decades. His example shaped the man and lifestyle for which I strive. Despite the Christian influences at the time, through high school, I ditched and slept in all my classes, eventually dropping out as soon as I was eighteen.
Sidetracked
At the age of 20, lost in depression and suicidal thoughts and an attempt, I was looking for a means of escape and a way to change my life. That is when I committed a crime and stole a friend’s car. The conviction and pain I felt for what I did were so firm that the following day I turned myself in to the police. I stood trial to accept the consequences of my poor choices. God had unspeakable mercy on me as I faced a possible sentence of ten to fifteen years in prison. Instead, I was given one year in jail.
During my incarceration, I renewed my faith in God. Finally, God got a hold of my heart and mind. I even worried that my release would mean facing society with all its distractions and temptations. However, from this experience and that of my early years, God cultivated a broken heart for the lost and unsaved in me. God developed in me a desire to have my whole life be about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wanted to help those hurting and lost in the darkness. My scars would be the catalyst to drive me into a mission-minded ministry.
A Second Chance
How God saved me has spoken and ministered to others of the greatness and far reach of God’s grace. We cannot out-sin grace! And one of the markers of how amazing God’s grace has been towards me was in 2014 when the governor of California, on Christmas Eve, gave me a full and unconditional pardon! This was a small taste of all Jesus did for the world.
Though my heart always loved God first, I haven’t always faithfully walked these past 26 years of my adult life. Yet, the Lord has been faithful to my wife and me in our marriage, with a mission to bring glory to God and have our three children. We considered entering full-time ministry in our earlier years. However, we ultimately served in various capacities in our local churches throughout our marriage. We ran a successful business for many years, then lost everything in the crash of 2008. I started a new job in construction after that. I spent seven years schooling as I worked and supported my family from then to 2021.
Further Surrender
About six years ago, around 40, I had enough of my then-stagnant and sometimes rebellious life. The Lord warned me to change and commit to serving Him wherever that led. Even if it meant construction for the rest of my life. I helped out at church, listened to Bible teaching while I commuted daily, shared my faith at work, spent time in Bible study with my family, and got on my knees in prayer more consistently.
In 2020, the Lord put it into our hearts to move from our beloved mountain home in California to Southern Oregon. Even though we didn’t know a soul there, we felt God’s call to full-time ministry, specifically in that area. So, after 25 years of construction, we took that step of faith and moved, not knowing God’s plan. Within the first few months of our move, I was asked to come into full-time vocational ministry, where I currently serve.
Trained and Equipped to Minister Through Courses at CLI
I received my GED while I was incarcerated. Over the years, I took some college classes and even some uncredited Biblical courses. The Christian Leaders Institute will make me trained and equipped to minister in every opportunity God has in fulfilling His calling on my life. We walk by faith. I make every plan with much prayer and a desire always to follow the Lord’s will. So, for now, I think that may include facilitating Community Groups in our home, helping in Young Adult outreach, short-term missions trips overseas, Men’s Discipleship, and Inductive Bible study.
While I look to the Lord’s Coming, I’m so thankful to have the opportunity in this generation to proclaim the good news! I can’t believe that CLI exists! My excitement to be a part of CLI is high! I always wanted to attend Seminary, but raising a family and working never afforded me the opportunity. Also, we have lived with just enough provision from God for many seasons.
Now, CLI is getting me trained and equipped to minister. I hope to be challenged, continue to grow in my understanding and knowledge of God’s Word, better administer His grace, and effectively share the Truth of Who He is with the world. I hope that my life will stand as a witness and legacy to all Christ is and that my family will be deeply impacted.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here
Finding the Light in the Darkness
I am Linda Brown, from Missouri. With a call to Chaplaincy, I became a student at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
I am a 46-year-old wife and mom to four awesome kids and two wonderful stepchildren. My amazing husband and I have three grandchildren (with one on the way) and an adorable brand-new great-granddaughter. For the last 23 years, I have passionately worked as a mental health nurse. In addition, I am a program supervisor for a company that works with the developmentally disabled. And I also love to read and watch true crime!
Growing in God
As a small-town girl in northwest Missouri, I grew up involved in the United Methodist Church. From the time I was young, the Bible fascinated me. I was always searching for more. More understanding, more answers. My experiences in our church youth group continue to be some of my most memorable and incredible experiences. Whether volunteering in Rocky Mountain National Park, feeding the homeless in Chicago, or standing in awe surrounded by God’s magnificent beauty in The Grand Canyon, I felt a deepening love and adoration for God.
Around age 15, I dreamed of being a pastor and fully committed myself to our Lord, Jesus Christ. However, a couple of years later, my outlook changed drastically. I found myself pregnant and unwed at seventeen. A series of bad decisions led me down a very dark path for quite some time.
The Darkness
Fast forward several years, and I was a struggling single mom of four. The light of God was growing dimmer and dimmer in my heart. I managed to get myself through nursing school and began a journey into the mental health field. I worked with those who suffered like me: those with depression and anxiety. So, I offered my help and guidance to them but refused it myself. Angry, bitter, and tired, I blamed everyone but myself for my circumstances, even God. It was a very dark path indeed.
Then I met my husband and true love. However, it wasn’t happily ever after right away. The depression didn’t go away. It got worse. I was lost in that darkness, and God seemed very far away. Then one night, everything became too overwhelming, and I wanted out. Fighting it every step of the way, my husband got me help. Of course, I didn’t want or need it, so I told myself. Finally, I accepted the fact that I needed help. I tried to find the light again, but it wasn’t easy. Although my mental health improved, I still felt far away from God. I felt like a disappointment and a failure. I had been gone too long and wasn’t worthy of God’s love.
Tragedy and Finding God’s Light
Life went on, and I succeeded in my career. I had beautiful, wonderful children and a loving husband, but something was still missing. I went to one church after another but couldn’t find my way back to God.
Already in bed asleep, my phone rang. Fear immediately entered my mind as my shaky fingers tried to push the answer button. Tears were in my son’s voice as he told me the news. My child was now going through every parent’s nightmare. My son and daughter-in-law’s baby died just weeks from the due date. His life was over before it even started. I rushed to the hospital two hours away while my daughter-in-law went through labor and delivery. What we thought would be a joyous occasion turned into a tragedy.
Before he was taken away, I held my grandson and prayed. It was the first time I had genuinely prayed with all my heart in a long time. At that moment, I felt a stirring in my heart. I was lost for so long. However, through His grace and mercy, God was calling me back.
When I came back home, I pulled out my dusty Bible and read it. I asked God’s forgiveness for being away for so long. Then, I fully committed myself to Jesus Christ, and suddenly, the light was there. Then, I felt the love and peace that I had been missing. And now, I want to learn everything I can. I want to share God with as many as I can.
And Now: A Call to Chaplaincy and Study at CLI
That dream I had so many years ago crept up on me again. My first instinct was to make excuses. I’m too old, too busy; there’s not enough money. Then one afternoon, I browsed the internet. On a random whim, I clicked on Christian Leaders Institute. In the blink of an eye, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I know God led me here to fulfill His purpose for me. Unsure exactly what that purpose was, but I knew I could find it here. And find it I did, a call to Chaplaincy.
I have felt a strong call to spread God’s word through a Chaplaincy degree. God’s light has never shined brighter for me. A scholarship would ensure that I never let that light burn out.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here