My name is Charlene Loughlin, and I am 63 years old. Currently, I live in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I am taking grief support ministry training courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute.
My Journey
I have had an incredible journey with Christ. However, at times, it felt like the experience of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years. I grew up in a poor non-Christian home with five brothers and a single mom on welfare. However, my grandmother, who I spent many summers with, was a believer. She taught me about Jesus’ love. So, I decided at an early age I wanted to go to church.
My mother got sick when I was in High School. My youth choir sang at church. So I always asked my mom to attend, but she declined every time. One day, I fell off a motorcycle and hit my hip on the curb. I was in a lot of pain, but I wanted to go to church. Although concerned, my mother let me go. Her orders were that I would go to the doctor as soon as I got home from church. I returned home with a big smile, explaining that the Lord had healed me. She knew something changed, so to my amazement, she decided to go to our choir performance. That night, she gave her heart to the Lord. She died six months later of cancer. At 18, I was now on my own.
That was the first death I ever experienced. Sadly, there were many deaths to come. About 10 years later, my father died, then, within two weeks, my brother died. A few years later, another brother died by suicide. Then another brother died of liver disease. My grandmother died shortly after that. Shortly after that, my marriage ended.
A Changed Life
The toll of all the loss finally caught up to me. Living a double life sinning Monday thru Saturday, I still went to church on Sunday. The Holy Spirit convicted me, but I could not break free from the life I had chosen. Through all my sins and rebellion, God was always there. However, one day, I heard the Lord say, “I will spit you out of my mouth.” I ignored His warning. Then I literally felt for the first time in my life that God’s presence left me. It terrified me! I cried out, asking Jesus back into my life. It was a wake-up call to a sincere relationship with God, not just a religious performance that I had for all those years.
I decided to go to college and get my teaching credentials in special education. Then, I worked on an Indian Reservation for six years. One Sunday, a man was speaking from the pulpit, asking people to join him on a short mission trip to Guatemala. I jumped at the chance thinking it would be a mini-vacation. Little did I know that it would turn my world upside down. After I returned home, the orphanage stayed on my mind. A year later, I sold all my things and moved to Guatemala as a full-time missionary. I lived there for four years until I got very sick and knew it was time to return to the USA.
New Direction
After I returned, I felt lost and alone without a purpose. I never really connected with my community again. I went back to teaching, but it never felt the same and I missed ministry. Then, on my way home after visiting my younger brother, I drove through a small town and heard a voice say, “You are going to move here.” I knew no one in the area, so I wasn’t sure why that popped into my head.
Two years later, God provided a job and I moved to that town. I connected immediately with a supportive church family and made amazing friends. It was the connection I desperately wanted. However, I still had a tug on my heart for ministry. Over the years, I saw many people who lost loved ones, especially during covid. I also lost my very best friend of over 30 years. Feeling the sting of grief again, I woke up one morning realizing my ministry was to start a grief support group at our church.
Grief Support Ministry Training at CLI
This is the journey that I am now on. I found the Christian Leaders Institute on the internet as I searched for classes for leadership. The classes fit perfectly with the training I was hoping to find. My hope is to start a Grief Support Ministry in the Fall, which will be perfect timing when I finish my Christian Leaders Institute Leadership training course.
I am excited to continue taking classes at CLI to equip me on this journey. Praise God! He has been faithful in my unfaithfulness and guided me through so many challenges and experiences in my life. I am excited to start this ministry journey.
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
My Calling: Ministry for Broken or New Marriages
My name is Blake Spurling. God has called me to minister to couples dealing with broken marriages or new couples trying to find their way. I am at the Christian Leaders Institute for biblical marriage ministry courses (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
My Testimony
I live in Middle, Georgia, in the United States. I grew up in a Christian home. My childhood was filled with the joys of growing up. I was the younger brother of a family of four. My parents ensured we had everything we wanted, even if that meant sacrificing their happiness. Although my dad didn’t go often, my mom took us to church on Sunday. This led me to live a close walk with God. When I was 11, the Spirit moved me during Vacation Bible School. I accepted Jesus that day as my Savior.
As all the joy and happiness of salvation came, the temptations of the world jumped into my young mind. I was a pretty good baseball player at this time. Selfish and arrogant, I put all of my focus on baseball and started failing in school. Up until this point, I was always an honor roll student. Disappointed in my actions, my parents eventually had me give up baseball.
Challenges
I became somewhat rebellious in the next few years. Sixth grade taught me much about life and how people are hateful. I experienced bullying throughout the entire course of that year. The teachers would not listen to me when I asked for help. Frustrated with school, I lied to my parents about being sick, so I wouldn’t have to go. Eventually, my mom caught on. The look she had in her eyes when I finally told the truth was oddly similar to when I got in trouble. However, I knew she wasn’t mad at me. We went to school that day, and the problem was solved.
Although the situation was rectified, the hurt and trauma were still there. So I looked for friendships and came up empty. I was like on an island alone. The few friends I did have, I was very cautious over. This pattern continued most of my tenure in school up until I graduated.
My Marriage and My Struggles
After graduation, I dated my soon-to-be wife. We began dating in August and were engaged by November of the same year. So many people said some hateful things about us, “story of my life,” as they thought we were moving too fast. People failed to realize she was one of my few friends since the 8th grade. We survived some of the turmoil and moved on with our lives. On August 31, 2013, we said I do in a church surrounded by all the people we love.
Sadly, I was a terrible husband, I needed some biblical marriage ministry courses to help me. Everything we did before marriage felt nonexistent to me. I suddenly believed the people that said we wouldn’t last. Eventually, I told my wife in 2016 that I wanted a divorce as I was tired of coexisting. I blamed her for my problems and just wanted to be done. She took the blame for all my concerns, and somehow by the grace of God, she convinced me to stay. A few short days later, we found out we were expecting our first child.
One thing I did not do even after our child arrived was change. I was still not a great husband and an even worse father. My main goal at this point in my life was to be successful. I convinced myself that one day my family would look back at all I had achieved, and they wouldn’t care that I was not there. Instead, they would be proud of my achievements. What reassured me was that people told me that my marriage was perfect and we looked so happy. I was painting the picture I had planned, and people believed it.
Challenges and Changes
A second child was coming, and my wife had a full load. If I thought I was nonexistent before, I was then. So I took a position in a different state and left my pregnant wife and child at home. My wife wanted me to be happy and live my dream, so she allowed me to go. I would leave on Monday and come home on Friday.
One night in a hotel room, God started working on me. I felt super emotional as thoughts flooded my mind of how miserable I was. Finally, I knelt and asked God to help me and show me what to do. Things started changing after that. My life had some setbacks that ultimately led to God’s plan for my life.
When Covid hit in 2020, I was laid off from what I thought was my dream job. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I spent the next two months with my family every day. I began catching up on lost time. Eventually, I returned to that job after my wife gave birth to our second child. He came without instructions. He had several issues with his health that we had to work through. I knew that I could not continue this work journey any further.
New Direction
After a health scare with our youngest, it was time to settle down with my family again. I took a job close to home and ended my “dream” job. I became depressed since I had to let my dreams go. Sadly, I did not give much support to my wife. It became so bad that there was little communication when I got off from work. I would walk in, go to my den, and play games or watch tv alone. I was alone in my misery.
This started the newfound journey of wanting to be a hunter, something I could do alone. I started from scratch. I took the hunter’s safety test and purchased licenses. My older brother taught me the basics of hunting with his rifle, and the next time out, I went alone. That day November 17, 2022, Jesus came into my life. As I sat there and wept over my life, the person I was, the husband and father that I wasn’t. He led me to a scripture that told me it was okay. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
Biblical Marriage Ministry Courses at CLI
I told my wife about everything that day and asked her for forgiveness. We worked out our broken relationship. I felt the calling to restore my marriage and help others who might think there is no other way to salvage theirs. This led me to the Christian Leaders Institute for biblical marriage ministry courses as I answered my calling to help struggling marriages.
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
My name is Jesse Marie Rugh. Currently, I am getting online biblical minister training at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here). I live in Farmington, Missouri, USA, with my husband, Adam, and three of our four children. Our children are ages 16-20 and working their way out of our home.
My Great Grandmothers’ Prayers
I grew up in Arkansas in small nondenominational churches and many basement/home Bible studies. My father is in the ministry. My grandmother and great-grandmothers were in the ministry. Further, my great-great grandma Granger (my mother’s great-grandmother) wrote in her Last Will and Testament that all of her offspring would know and serve God. She was a missionary and did some amazing things in her life. I had such a strong love and faith as a young child.
However, like many, something happened to cause me to be angry towards God. I was 17 when I turned in another direction after being assaulted. It was the beginning of what I call my “dark decade.” In that decade, I sought every solution for my pain except God.
Then one day, I had enough of trying to pick up the pieces of my life by myself. Maybe it’s that I felt the prayers that my great-grandmothers’ prayed over my life many years ago. So, I asked my mom if she’d go to church with me, and she agreed. My life was a mess. I was afraid to go to church alone. I thought everyone could see my shame dripping off my skin, at least, that’s how I felt. However, that church and those loving people offered me love like Jesus. That was the start of my return to Him.
My First Calling
I went to nursing school and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Soon, I began working as a psychiatric nurse, which I’ve now been doing for eight years. I have had the privilege of caring for many people who suffered similar traumas to me and coped with those traumas in similar ways. So, I used my experiences to provide compassionate empathetic care to them. I thought that was my only calling. However, working 60-hour weeks and having no time for church or my family could not be God’s only plan for me. I felt the pull to draw closer to Him and stop living to work.
My Second Calling and Biblical Minister Training at CLI
I’m not sure exactly where my call to ministry will take me. However, I know it’s time for me to work towards HIS purpose for my life and to no longer try to find MY own fallible purpose. I believe He will use the redemption and overcoming in my past to minister to others who are hurting.
Searching for Biblical minister training online, I found the Christian Leaders Institute. I chose Christian Leaders Institute Training because I crave a deeper understanding, connection, and purpose in ministry.
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
Find out how to become a minister with an online program. Click Here