My Spiritual Journey and Calling
Hi! My name is Carrie Olson. I am a 46-year-old widow, with two grown children, and four wonderful grandchildren. God has called me to help others through life’s battles with coaching and ministry. So, I am studying life coaching and ministry courses at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free ministry and Bible courses online, Click Here).
I live in the beautiful but windy state of Wyoming. Originally, I am from East Tennessee, and also spent many years of my young adult life in Colorado. I think that having lived in different parts of the country has given me some unique perspectives on life and cultures. However, the root of my personal and spiritual journey started in the heart of what is known as the Bible belt, in a small town outside of Chattanooga that lies at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
First Steps in Faith
I grew up in a very religious family. Though my parents didn’t necessarily make it a point to go to church every Sunday in my early years, I was sent when at all possible. My mother made it a point to read me Bible stories. She also made sure I said my prayers every night and before meals, at a minimum. My uncle was a Baptist minister. He and others in my life often told me about God’s Word and the saving power of Jesus.
There were several summers when I spent time at my uncle’s house and went to Vacation Bible School at his church. I was around 9 years old when he asked me one day if I’d ever accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. We talked about it. It was that day that I first asked Jesus to come into my heart. At the age of 12, I was baptized in a small but spirit-filled Southern Baptist Church. The day of my baptism was the first time I recall feeling what could only be defined as the peace of the Holy Spirit. However, that feeling was fleeting. It would be years before I came to understand what salvation really entailed.
Challenges and Questions
On the day I was saved, I fully believed it. I did my best to be a good Christian and believe with faith. However, in my early childhood and on into my early teen years, I experienced multiple traumas. These sometimes caused me to question whether or not God was really there and listening. I tried to push those thoughts away though and pressed on.
As a teenager, I advanced in my spiritual growth. I joined the church youth choir and other activities. However, my past traumas continued to plague me as well as the usual difficulties of growing into adulthood. By my early 20s, I began attending an Assembly of God Pentecostal church. For the first time in my life, I saw people speak in tongues and talk about laying on of hands, and spiritual healing. I felt at home there and usually left service feeling renewed and uplifted. Still, I had questions. Mainly, the question was: “Why had certain bad things continued to happen in my life?”
Eventually, the traumas led me to question if there was a God. For about a decade, I studied various religions, ancient texts, and many spiritual topics. I don’t think I ever completely let go of my Christian upbringing but wasn’t exactly sure of what I truly believed.
Breaking Point and God’s Peace
By the age of 36, through one divorce and separation from my second husband, I was a single mom. I struggled with overcoming things in my past and dealing with life in general. I was in the deepest, darkest state and was desperate to escape it. One day, I knelt down in front of my couch in my living room. Sobbing, I prayed to a God I wasn’t even sure I still believed in. I said something to the effect of, “Father in Heaven, show me who you truly are. Cover me and fill me with light and the Holy Spirit. Come into my life and take this away. Please lead me out of this.” Then I asked for forgiveness. I prayed with more sincerity and will than any prayer I ever uttered.
I went to sleep that night, and my mind was still for the first time in a while. The next morning, I no longer had that dark, heavy feeling. I felt wonderful peace and joy, unlike anything ever before. I felt the Holy Spirit within me. Everything was fresh and new, and I felt this inner connection to everything around me.
Since that day, I’ve had a new awareness of who and what God is and how powerful that connection is. It hasn’t been without struggle and spiritual attack. But, I gained a new way of looking at life and found out about God’s unconditional love and outstanding grace. God is always there to direct and guide us if we know how to talk to Him and listen, and if we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.
My Journey to Life Coaching and Ministry Courses
I have overcome numerous hardships in my life. These include extreme loss and grief, mental illness, and struggles with some vices and addictions. I’ve raised children with autism and ADHD. I understand the struggles that those with developmental disabilities and/or neurodivergence face. Further, I understand the trials and heartache of having a spouse with a terminal illness.
In 2020, I survived a massive heart attack. It renewed my calling to help others in their struggles and helped me more clearly see the beauty in life. Sometimes, it is through pain and trials that we see light and love. Perhaps, I may be able to use my own trials and triumphs to help other people. Going through what I have in life, as hard as it has been, is what has led me, ultimately, to pursue ministry.
I had to do a lot of personal healing. However, my faith and the Spirit of God within me got me through it all. I have coping skills and stay calm in the face of most storms. But, most of all my faith in God helped me.
Finding CLI for Life Coaching and Ministry Courses
Wherever God leads me, I am very interested in life coaching and helping neuro-divergent youth and young adults. I also want to teach others about the Bible and the healing power of the Lord. Overall, I want to help people on their journey and with spiritual healing. Then they can find salvation and have a more peaceful and fulfilled life.
I knew I needed training, so I searched online and found the Christian Leaders Institute for free online life coaching and ministry courses. What a blessing!
Matthew 7:7-12 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My Spiritual Journey:
From a Defiant Persecutor of the Word to a Preacher and Defender of the Word
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! My name is Sergio Umali III. Most people call me Serge. Some called me SU3 in the Christian Broadcasting Network Asia – Operation Blessing Philippines. That is where I volunteered as Database Management Staff before becoming a regular employee later. Currently, I am studying to grow in skills and knowledge for ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute with free online ministry and Bible courses (Learn more about free ministry and Bible courses online, Click Here).
I grew up in the City of Makati. Recently, I searched to see if there is an online school where I can enroll for free or with a scholarship to learn and develop as a church leader. I needed it now that I am leading a church planting team for our Central Church. Therefore, it is indeed a great blessing that I was able to encounter the Christian Leaders Institute. It will help me to grow in the skills of ministry and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Early Years
My journey as a Christian started when my father brought us to a Christian church. It was the Word for the World Christian Fellowship. Being 7 or 8 years old, every time we went to church, I clearly remembered the Sunday School. There was a classroom, crayons, and a teacher that taught us to sing and put colors to printed drawings. However, we did not continue attending that church because my father was not a committed Christian at that time.
It was when I was in college that my father invited us again. The whole family went to a church called Take the Nation for Jesus. He had a colleague that invited him to go to that church in August 1999. It was a bit awkward at that time for me. I was not comfortable with people singing worship songs with a band, dancing, tambourines, and flags.
An Open Door: Call to Ministry
At that time, my father also opened our house for a Bible study group. But I wasn’t ready at that time since I had just come from the Catholic convent with my aunts who are both chief nuns. Though I did not vocally disagree in my mind, I was persecuting my father for inviting a born-again Christian to conduct a Bible study in our house. Although I did listen to their discussion, I also made soft or indistinct words at the same time telling myself that what they were studying was not true. I was indeed a hardheaded, defiant son who didn’t want to see the whole family converted to the born-again Christian faith.
Little did I know that shortly after that God would call me to the ministry. God called me to the Ministry of Youth, Dance, and Sunday School as a volunteer. Also, our pastor would invite me to attend their meeting with the elders of the church even though I was still in the youth ministry. I did not know why I had to attend such a meeting at first. But now I know that the Lord prepared me at that young age. He did that because I would later be leading my own small group. Then, I would lead youth ministry and then midweek prayer gathering. Not long after that, I became an elder and became a preacher in our local church for like six or seven years.
The Dream
One time, the Lord showed me in a dream our pastor going down from the pulpit. She sat in the chair in front of me. Then, I saw someone that wasn’t shown to me. He turned His head and spoke to me inaudibly. Though not seeing who He was, my spirit knew Him, and I responded with the words, “Not now Lord, I can’t lead. I can only be an assistant for now.” That dream was in the year 2009.
So, I consulted one of the pastors about it during our LRT or MRT training. That pastor asked, “What else? What else do you need to hear to believe and be convinced that you have a calling to leadership? That God is calling you to become His servant?” However, since I was young, I did not listen. I continued to tell myself that there were a lot of people more qualified than me.
Answering God’s Call and Studying at CLI
After all the avoidance I did to not answer the call of God in my life, I am now leading a new church plant in the City of Makati. Now, the Word that I tried to persecute before is the same Word that I am now preaching and defending. I pray by our Lord’s grace, I do not just grow in ministry skills and knowledge but also grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be an effective and more mature church leader and pastor. Praise God! I found the Christian Leaders Institute! Thank you, CLI, CLI staff, and professors! God bless us all!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Amber McLain, from the United States. I am taking free ministry and Bible courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free ministry and Bible courses online, Click Here).
My Story
At the wonderful age of 12, I decided that I did not believe in God. I did not feel it in my heart and to say that I did would mean that I was lying. I carried on this belief for 13 years. During this time, I made rash decisions and lived in the flesh. I chased my own desires and end up in a rash and quick marriage. While in this marriage, I experienced loneliness, depression, lovelessness, and severe heartache. After four years of marriage, I found myself divorced.
During my deepest and darkest hour, I knew that I could no longer live in the way I was living. So, on a whim, decided to go to church. I went to church that day by myself. There was a moment the Lord showed me a spectacle of light. I left the church knowing there was a light at the end of my tunnel. Going forward from that day, it was not instantaneous, overpowering, or all-consuming. However, I slowly felt the desire to know the Lord grew a little more every day.
Ministry Calling
The first time I felt the call to ministry was very random. I was driving home from work and thinking about my day and my future. In a moment, the thought came into my head, “You should get into the ministry.” When this thought came, I immediately thought, “That is absolutely insane! I am not someone that is to minister to anyone.” Then after the last three years, there has been a small nudge, and I thought about the future in ministry. As time went on, I started feeling that pull get stronger and stronger.
Finally, I conceded to God’s plan to pursue ministry and do His plan on His path. I am unsure of my destination in ministry. However, I hope with Christian Leaders Institute to discover a better understanding of the path that God has laid out for me. The free ministry and Bible courses at CLI are a blessing!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.