To Minister Hope in Jesus Name
My name is Connie Morris. I am blessed to be studying at the Christian Leaders Institute for online study of God’s word and ministry training (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
I grew up in South Texas during the 1970s and ’80s. My upbringing was tumultuous from the beginning. My father and mother married at the tender ages of 20 and 16. They both came from poor, rural families and life was hard. Alcohol was a staple in the refrigerator for as long as I can remember. As with most alcoholics, physical and emotional violence was a regular occurrence in the home. I was the eldest of four children and remember well the abuse we received at the hands of our parents. My mother suffered from depression, and the isolation of never having a place to call home only worsened it.
My Journey
Around the age of 12-years old, an aunt introduced me to Jesus. It was during the brief time my parents allowed me to attend church with her. I have precious memories of that time as God began His work in my heart. It was the first time I experienced such peace and love during an otherwise unstable childhood. I made Jesus my Savior and received baptism at that time. However, I did not experience Jesus as Lord until I was in my early twenties. This revelation of Jesus as Lord over my mind and emotions changed my life. It was a slow process, but the work that God began so long ago in a hurting girl began to take root in a young mother in her early twenties.
When my children were young, the Lord led us to a small church in south Texas. The Lord started to teach me how to pray effectively during that time. During an intense time of prayer and fasting, the Spirit of God led me in praying for a dying uncle and for a family pet that had only hours to live. God not only healed both the uncle and the dog, but He also healed me from a lifelong and crippling struggle with depression.
Online Study of God’s Word at CLI
The Lord has placed the desire in my heart to see people set free from physical and spiritual illness. I want to see them walking firmly in their faith. Therefore, I want to learn how to share God’s Word in a more relatable way and serve my local church and community effectively as the Lord leads me.
Today, my husband and I have been married for 35 years. We have three grown children and four grandchildren. I desire to see them all secure in their faith and to grow in their walk with the Lord. The Lord has opened a door by way of Christian Leaders Institute for online study of God’s Word so I grow in the calling God has placed on my life. I trust the Lord to use me as He sees fit and develop the gifts He has placed within me.
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, and then you are allowed to 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.
I am Ed McGugan from Canada. I am excited to be getting an education in the Bible and ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
Living “Our Dream”
Well, there are so many things to talk about so we’ll just focus on one aspect of God’s impact on my life. When some men in North America have their “mid-life crisis”, I was working extra hard. Not so much for the money, but because I was living the dream. Our dream. My wife and I always dreamed of farming together. So we bought out her parents’ dairy farm. We started with four cows, 9 acres, and a small barn. We built it up to 40 purebred Jersey cows with a new barn and 200 acres. It was going very, very well.
We were very busy with our church as well. My wife was leading as the Sunday School Superintendent. I was an Elder and taught Sunday School, supported the church’s music ministry, and played in the Country Gospel Band. We had a happy family of five children who were all growing tall and strong.
Also, the engineering career I started out with never went away. My experience and abilities were still put to good use in the engineering field. I had my own engineering consulting firm. Also, I was busy designing lots of interesting machinery and being granted quite a number of patents for my work. The work was very interesting and the money was good.
Changes: Slow Down!
What could go wrong? Well, trying to get too much done in a day was a normal mode of operation for me. One day, while going too fast on a tractor, I injured my back. Badly. Could barely walk as a matter of fact. I thought it would get better with time, but it only got worse. Thankful for the good medical care, I eventually ended up in a wheelchair. We had to make a lot of changes including selling the cows and the farm. My wife got a job.
I struggled to figure out a new way to live, move, and work. While everyone was really helpful, it was still a struggle to adapt to doing everything differently. Of course, I was no longer the “big man” who could do whatever needed to be done! And in that process, it became clear to me that I needed to be more humble. Not only should I accept help, but I also needed to, as the old gospel song says, “put my hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the water.” I needed to trust in God to provide for us and give direction to my life.
Time for God and Inspirational Reading
So, I spent a lot more time reading. While reading my Bible much more, for the first time in my life, I started making notes and lists and really studying to understand. I began getting more of an education in the Bible.
It also seemed there was finally time to read other inspirational books, the very best of which was “Joni” by Joni Eareckson Tada. This very inspirational lady was paralyzed in a diving accident when she was only 17 years old. She described her accident as well as all the medical challenges she faced. However, most importantly, she detailed her spiritual journey as God drew her closer to Him and how He was able to use her for His work – even though she was in a wheelchair.
Getting an Education in the Bible at CLI
That changed everything for me. It gave me the courage to keep moving forward as well as study and work so that God could use even me to encourage other Christians as well as reach out with the gospel to those people who do not believe. It has meant that I have “scooched” up the stairs onto a stage or platform dragging my wheelchair so that we could play and sing some gospel songs for a crowd. Or I have delivered a message encouraging people to open their hearts to Jesus and have confidence in His Word.
It has also encouraged me to run many an archery booth at local Fall Fairs to raise money for The Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM). It is a Christian organization that provides free wheelchairs to people around the world who cannot afford one. Fairgoers enjoy shooting some arrows and love to hear about what the FWM is doing.
Now, since getting an “education” in the Bible has always been somewhat ad hoc, my enrollment in the Christian Leaders Institute is hopefully a way for me to take a more disciplined approach to understand the Bible. Then, my knowledge can increase and I can be more useful to my Lord and Saviour in speaking to both Christians and non-believers as He gives me the opportunity.
Exciting times!!
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, and then you are allowed to 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.
Hi, my name is Yuen Kei Wan. I am excited to learn the Bible more online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
Born in Hong Kong, I grew up like most children from Asia, studying hard so I will not bring shame to my family. I learned art but not to become an artist since most artists don’t earn enough for a living. Also, I did sports to keep myself healthy.
I became a Christian when I was 12 years old. Even though both of my parents were not in Christ, they were still together. I am their only child. My mum and dad gave the best they could. I grew up in a very structured environment. Deep down I knew there was something missing in my heart, something that would make me happy.
The Search for the Missing Part
Ecclesiastes 2:1 says, “I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless.”
I was quite a rebellious child. Also, I craved admiration from my fellow classmates when I was in secondary school. I wanted to feel more important and popular. I went to a grammar school with all girls. So, I dressed like a tom-boy trying to get attention. I was doing great in academics before my open heart surgery when I was 15 years old. In fact, I wasted most of my secondary school time on self-pity and also self-admiration.
Challenges
When I grew older, I had an addiction to pornography, and I also had strange sexual desires. I could not bring them up to my parents because I was afraid that it will bring shame to them. I did not think my teachers or friends would accept me if I opened up, so I kept it to myself.
When I was getting my degree in the UK, I got the time on my own. I had an addiction to my laptop. I once believed if someone could fulfill my sexual desires, I would not be able to leave him. With such belief, I went to Germany for my ex. However, after two years, they sent me home because my visa expired. So, it did not work out.
God Showed Up
It seemed all my searches failed, but God showed up. He asked me in my dreams, “Why do you keep destroying my temple?” It happened when I was not very convinced that Jesus was real or if he really resurrected from the dead. It shocked me and brought me back to look for Him because the dream was so vivid. I could see it in my head like yesterday. There were some issues that I needed to address with God before I started to walk with Him.
I asked, “God, where were you when I was suffering?” Since I was young, I had much suffering. There were times when I was in the hospital because of surgeries and checkups. There were unanswered prayers and unfulfilled promises from my loved ones. Each and every one of those moments made me feel heartbroken, abandoned, and fatherless. I was glad that God showed up then, but where was He when I was looking for Him?
It Is Not About Me, But You, God!
Job 42: 5 says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
What brought me to Christ again was because of the death of Jesus’ apostles. No man would sacrifice himself if Jesus is a lunatic, they must have seen Him being crucified and resurrected. That is why they were willing to give up their lives for Christ. Especially as the deaths of the apostles were not pretty. They were humiliated before being beaten almost to death and then killed at last. When thousands of saints were being killed or persecuted in the history of mankind because they claimed to be Christ-followers, I was so blind to not have seen and recognized Him to be God.
In fact, I was so small and yet significant in God’s greater plan. All those things (my prayers that I thought were so important for God to answer and my plans of life that I thought I must follow through) that I grabbed onto so tight left me day by day and bit by bit after I began to read the Bible. John 8:32 says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Also, Matthew 11:30 says, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The God of this universe never fails me! He is the God who kept waiting for me to trust in Him like when I was 12 years old.
Learning the Bible More Online at CLI
Yet, in Romans 8:35, Paul said, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Then Paul said in verses 39, “…neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul wrote this when he was in jail facing the uncertainty given to his life or death by the authorities. Still, he knew his hope was not here on earth. His hope was in the cross of Christ. My problems are not that huge that my God cannot handle, this is the lesson for me to learn to trust His love and faithfulness.
The craving for me to learn more of the Bible online was getting bigger and bigger each and every day. I could not let go of my Bible apps. One of my biggest wishes was to complete a theology college degree and then to move on to do a master’s degree for God. While browsing the internet, God drew my attention to the Christian Leaders Institute. At CLI, my dream can be done safely without travel in this very strange hour of mankind. Most importantly, it can be done without carrying unwanted debt. Thank you, CLI!
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, and then you are allowed to 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.