Praise Jesus and hello! My name is Joshua Wakefield, and I live in Royse City, Texas, USA. I am thankful to study about God and the Bible at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
I was very sick at birth, and the doctors told my mother that I would soon die. My mother prayed and told the Lord that she would give her only son to him if He gave me life. As soon as my mother spoke these words, my older sister, age 3, came to my mother and said, “Momma, my brother will be fine.” And today, I live. When I was 6, my father left my family. Soon after that, my mother had a brain tumor deemed impossible to operate on. By God’s grace, my mother’s operation was a miracle, and to this day, she lives.
Our lives continued with many other hardships, but God gave us joy and made our small family unit strong. I needed guidance during my adolescent and teenage years. I know the Lord was present in my life. Often, I would cry to Him that I didn’t have the ability or strength to serve Him. The ups and downs continued up to my graduation from high school.
Time to Serve God
In my first year of college, a light hit my heart powerfully during October. It was time to serve the Lord now, and His presence would give me the ability to do so. This divine knowledge was beyond me and encouraged me to leave college after my first semester. So I did.
I moved in with my friend, Adam. Our goal was to search out the Lord with all our might. So, Adam and I studied scripture, and the Lord gave us another brother named Chris, who joined us. This period of my life was healing. I overcame my past and walked in forgiveness. For the first time in my life, I was accepted and loved in a way I had never experienced. This love of God from His grace confused me. To me, it made no sense. Ultimately, understanding God’s loving grace was what my heart sought after. In that, Jesus enlightened my heart, and obedience to Him became my friend. My life and each breath had a purpose. I longed to know God whom I saw in the face of Jesus, my Lord and Savior.
The Lord took His time with all of us and healed and encouraged us. I was also baptized during this time. After my study about God and the Bible for the first time, I saw the beauty of the Word of God. I was encouraged to do something radical. We sold or gave away everything we owned and traveled the west coast preaching the Gospel to anyone who listened. During this time, we were 20 years old and simply in love with God.
Change and Growth
When I was 19, right before I turned 20, I went to my mother’s house before leaving for the trip. My mother wasn’t happy about it all. Shocked at how fast I changed, it scared her. She was angry too. Every year for my birthday, my mother gave me cards. In each card, she admonished me to do one thing with my life, “keep God first, seek Him, and you will prosper in life.” She also explained that my birthright is the Lord because He gave me life, and I am His. Therefore, before I left, I gave my mother all the cards she gave me when I was a child. I said to her, “Mother, I am fulfilling your words and promise you made to the Lord.” With those words, I left.
My mother and sister were hurt, and I didn’t speak much to them for some years. I also lost all my friends from my younger years. However, the cost was worth it. The trip lasted for 70 days, and we made a difference in people’s lives. All the while, all we relied on was the Lord. We learned to see His presence in everything.
One time, we were stuck in the Colorado mountains in a blizzard. Being young and naive, we did not check the weather. So, we prayed and cried out to the Lord for help. Immediately, out of nowhere, a snowplow came and escorted us out of the mountains. I have many stories of what the Lord did for us on that trip. The conclusion is that it establishes a steadfast hope in how the Word of God is living and active in our lives. The trip created a God-centered expectation for our life.
Walking With God
After this 70-day evangelistic trip, the Lord firmly put in my heart to move to New York with Adam’s family, and I did. This time was sacred to me. At 20 years old, it was the first time I saw another man love his kids because they were his. It was beautiful to me and shocked me. I grew into an independent man who walked with God in the next five years. I studied the Bible, worked, and ministered.
Also, when I was about to turn 23, I went back to Texas for a week to see my mom for the first time in almost three years. While there, I also met my wife at a Bible study I led at her house. God even blessed me with another true brother in the faith, Trevor.
To sum it all up, I am a simple man of faith. I have a faithful, beautiful wife and three boys. My mother and sister love me deeply, and I have godly friends with me. I attend a church that seeks to honor the Lord. I have gone from having nothing to in my heart having everything. The common factor of consistent beauty and faithfulness with love in my life has been the Lord Jesus Christ, my King and Savior. I work for an HVAC Engineering company and teach Bible studies in a small group at times while ministering to people.
Study About God and the Bible at CLI
Currently, I study about God and the Bible at the Christian Leaders Institute because I love God and want to know Him more intimately. That’s it. I love God and His people. Further, I love all people and want to share the Gospel with them. Finally, I want to stand on God’s truth and live my life for Him until I see Him in glory.
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 you are 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.
You Never Know What God Will Do!
My name is Dana McCrystal, and I am from the U.S.A. I am in my late 60s and at a place in my life that I never believed I would be. I am a Chaplain for a small Fire Department. The strange thing is I have no formal training in Chaplaincy. That is why I am at the Christian Leaders Institute for formal Chaplain training and credentialing (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here). My background was in emergency service as a Firefighter and Paramedic. During my time as a firefighter, I received extensive training in peer support for First Responders faced with extreme stress and what is considered today as P.T.S.D. I had a long career of over thirty years and am proud of my service. But, I had no clue as to God’s plans for me later in life.
My Beginnings in Faith
I grew up in the Catholic faith and attended church on a semi-regular basis. However, the church did not stress Bible knowledge. I attended college, at which time socialization became important. Life went on and I married, had a son, divorced and concentrated on my career. I always had a strong faith in God but was in a dark place. I expected to be single for a long while. The church was the last thing on my mind. My future changed before long because God was not through with me.
I met a wonderful woman who saw more in me than I saw in myself. Soon we married, had a family. Then, we realized that returning to church was vital as the children grew. I suggested a Catholic church but could not join due to my divorced status. God led us to a small church where we stayed for a long while. After some time, the message being preached became watered down. We searched for a more biblically-based church.
Our children grew and had families of their own. After I retired from my fire department career, my wife and I found a solid Bible-based church. There we became active in Bible study groups. So, the leaders asked me to be a Stephen Minister due to my peer support training and experience similarity.
More Formal Chaplain Training and Credentialing at CLI
My youngest son followed me into the fire service. While trying to build a peer support team of their own, I was asked to assist with the team. What I did not know was that they needed a Chaplain. This need is where God was at work. I did not have any formal theological training, but a Chaplain friend felt that I would be a good lay Chaplain. I could relate well to the firefighters since I lived what they now live. He put my name forth, and they chose me.
I have had some basic Chaplain training since then. However, I desire more formal Chaplain training and credentialing. This desire is where the Christian Leaders Institute comes in. I hope that with the help of God, I will serve well the firefighters he has assigned me to serve.
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 you are 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.
Introduction
Hello, my name is Carol Behrens. I’m a child of God, a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother of five. We live in Durban, South Africa, and attend a small Methodist Church in our neighborhood for the past 15 years. I am thankful for the Christian Leaders Institute with its online Theology and ministry courses (Learn more about free online Bible courses, Click Here).
My Life Before Receiving God’s Calling
I grew up in a family of four, with a much older brother. We attended church every Sunday. After school, I started working for a Petroleum Company in a male-dominated industry. In those years, women were either stay-at-home moms or managed an office-bound position. Everything else was a man’s job. Determined to prove myself, it took many years to reach the rank of Regional Sales Manager within this male-dominated industry.
The Calling
Although I managed to achieve a Senior Management position at the company I worked at, it did not feel like I accomplished anything. I felt something was missing in my life. Therefore, we joined our current church in 2006. After my parents-in-law moved to the suburbs, we automatically followed them. My mother passed away in 2006, making me realize that life is not all about work and what type of work you have. At our local church, I started putting my hand up. I volunteered for more duties, from Bible Reading to joining the Choir to becoming a Society Steward.
In June 2011, during a Sunday morning service, it felt like God spoke to me. God was calling me to preach. After talking to my husband about this feeling, we decided to pray and see if the feeling persisted after a few months. However, the feeling did not go away. So, in November 2011, we made an appointment to speak to our Reverend. Our Reverend invited me to attend the “Listening Committee” for the Local Lay Preacher Department of the Methodist Church. They listened to my testimony and allowed me to join the Methodist Church of South Africa as a Lay Preacher.
In 2012, I officially started my training as a Lay Preacher. For the next three years, I studied at a Christian College to obtain a Senior Certificate in Theology. I also studied at the Methodist Church (Wesley Studies), while doing services in my local church. I had one trial service per quarter marked also for study purposes. In 2016, the Methodist Church of South Africa accepted me as an Official Local Lay Preacher after I completed my studies.
My hope for the future
I always hoped to complete a degree in Theology and to start an online Ministry. Further, it became apparent over the past two years due to Covid that our Churches are suffering. People are too scared to attend, and they are searching for spiritual guidance online. I’m so thankful that God led me to the Christian Leaders Institute for online Theology and ministry courses. Now I can further my studies and work towards my goal of starting an online ministry. 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 you are 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.