God Can Save Anyone
Hello, my name is Damon Akers, and I am at the Christian Leaders Institute for their online ordination opportunity (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). From the United States of America, I grew up in a small rural town called Pulaski, Virginia. I graduated from Concord University located in Athens, West Virginia, in May of 2019. My degree is in Sports Management with a minor in Business Administration. I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia, and work for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. My story is one of God’s goodness and faithfulness, and it’s unique to a lot of people.
Early Struggles
I did not grow up in church and honestly was against God for an extended period. I knew of God and thought He created the universe. But I was not interested in any sort of relationship with Him. Going into middle school and high school, I struggled with depression and not knowing who I was. I could fit into any group of people but had no idea who I was. I got involved in pornography very early in middle school. My addiction was to the point I would lie to others when anyone caught me looking at it.
In high school, the identity search and addictions only got worse. In my junior year of high school, a teammate’s ex-girlfriend sexually assaulted me in my grandmother’s house. This event heightened my depression and made me suicidal. I thought daily, “Who will miss me? Nobody is going to notice if I’m gone. What good God allows this stuff to happen to decent people?” Every time I attempted suicide, something would always come up and stop me. Examples of this are phone calls from parents, text messages from coaches, severe storms that prevented anyone from traveling. I never knew what was going on or who was stopping me until I found Jesus.
Finding Jesus
In my freshman year of college, I was immediately surrounded by three extraordinary individuals. They showed me the true love of Christ, but I didn’t know it. Then, one day in November, my cross country teammate, Cimmarron, asked me to attend a revival session. It was being held at Maranatha Baptist Church in Princeton, West Virginia that night. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I said yes.
That night changed my life forever! That night, November 5, 2015, that Jesus made it clear to me that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life in this crazy world. For the first time, I truly encountered God and couldn’t ignore Him. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that night and have been walking with Him ever since.
It has not always been easy, but it has always been worth it. The Lord has indeed turned me around from the person I was when I started college. I can’t praise Him enough for who He is and all He has done in my life! He saved me even when I hated Him. Talk about a good, good Father!
Online Ordination Opportunity at CLI
My ministry desire is to share the Gospel with any and everyone who will listen. I believe I have the gift of teaching and want to use this gift for God’s glory. Christian Leaders Institute has given me an excellent opportunity to become ordained as a minister, and I can’t thank God enough! I found CLI because my father is getting married, and he has asked me to perform his ceremony. I’m so thankful that he trusts me to have this honor and that the Holy Spirit has moved in my dad’s life ever since I became a follower of Jesus.
Christian Leaders Institute has been a tremendous blessing in this process. I highly recommend that anyone who wants to become a minister sign up and take advantage of this fantastic resource. Thank you, CLI!
Learn more about online ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
To God Be The Glory!
My name is Lori Wise. I live in the United States just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, in the small town of Summerville since 2013. I am thankful for the online free Bible classes at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
I was born in the bay area of Northern California, where I lived with my family until we moved to Las Vegas in 1981. Vegas was still a small town then, and it was a wonderful place to grow up. In general, people that live there don’t go to the casinos. Life was simple. Friends were plentiful. And diversity was everywhere.
I was just six years old when I heard my calling. My parents didn’t allow us to get declared and baptized until we were thirteen. The Holy Spirit said otherwise. One Sunday morning, I slipped my hand from my mother’s hand as the Holy Spirit guided me to the front to declare my love of and dedication to Christ.
Victorious
It’s been somewhat of a twisty road, and I strayed from it more than once. There was a lot of sexual and physical violence in my past, and my dream is to minister to survivors and victors. However, my spiritual journey through all of it brought me closer to God. My love for Jesus grew even more significant. He never left my side and wept with me during the challenging times. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
In 2017, I became seriously ill and was in the hospital for 2-1/2 months. I lost the ability to walk, my kidneys shut down, I was in sepsis, and I had a massive saddle pulmonary embolism. According to the doctors, I wasn’t supposed to live. Some of my blood values were past the point of survivability. But God had other plans! It took a year, but I learned how to walk again. The grace of God was upon me, and I promised to work for the kingdom for whatever days I had left.
Online Free Bible Classes at CLI
I now live with my amazing husband and two fur kids. My walk has continued to strengthen. I’m in the Bible daily, I research, and I mentor. I’m involved in a women’s small group. Jesus is my world, my rock, and my salvation. Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here) makes it possible to study and learn even more about our Beautiful Savior. For that, I will be eternally grateful. Without their generosity, none of this would be possible. It’s through them that I’ll be able to follow my dream.
Learn more about online ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
God’s Call on My Life
I am John Davis, married to Ginger Davis, from Alabama, USA. We have a son. I enjoy hiking, camping, and fishing. My son is a Trail Life USA trail man, which allows us time together to enjoy these hobbies and grow in faith. Taking classes at the Christian Leaders Institute will help me answer God’s call and learn the Bible more thoroughly (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
Early Memories
One of my earliest memories is of my grandfather Davis holding me while we sang gospel hymns after supper. I have been told that my first word was not mommy nor daddy but “Hallelujah.”
My early childhood experiences fostered my spiritual growth. I saw my father minister to children on the “JOY” bus: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. My mother taught Bible class and read the Bible to me every night. I also remember that our backyard had three big rocks. I would stand on one of the rocks, hold a Bible, and pretend to preach to the other two.
Changes
Around the age of nine, our life changed drastically. My dad finished his time in the military stationed in Oklahoma. We moved from Oklahoma to Mississippi to be near our extended family. My mother battled depression, and my father struggled with alcohol. My two younger brothers were born. Our church attendance became sporadic. Peace and Christian service no longer marked our home and life. To say that our family was dysfunctional would be an understatement. Fear and anxiety replaced the joy I once knew.
Even though I felt fear and anxiety, I also continually felt the tug of God in my life and my heart. The Lord’s presence was very real to me when I walked the woods behind our house. First, I would sit on fallen trees and talk to Him. Then, in the silence and peace of nature, the Lord would speak to me, too.
Saved By Grace
At the age of 14, I fell under conviction. I cried every night that the Lord would allow me to live because I knew I was not ready to meet Him. I was afraid to tell someone of my need to be saved. Finally, the Lord did for me what I could not do for myself, and He did it through my father.
On September 2, 1986, we were attending a church revival. I knew I needed to respond to the invitation of the Lord but could not find it within myself to take that first step. Finally, my father leaned over and said, “Why don’t you go down tonight?” His words encouraged me to take that first step of faith. I repented of my sins, confessed Jesus as the Son of God, and shared in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in baptism.
Ministry Opportunities
Since that time, the Lord has given me many opportunities to serve Him. In 2002, I volunteered for a local hospice for six months. After I completed the internship, they asked me to stay in a full-time compacity. I tell people that God chose for me to be a hospice chaplain. I have loved every minute.
The Lord has also allowed me to serve on the mission field. Mission points have included Glasgow, Scotland; Syktyvkar, Russia; villages in Panama and Guatemala; Baja, Mexico; and several state-side locations.
The greatest blessings the Lord has given me are my wife and son. Ginger is my biggest cheerleader, and I would not be able to do ministry without her. She has helped me to continue to lay aside the fear and anxiety that once marked my life and loved me unconditionally. Our son has the kindest heart and makes us proud. I pray that the Lord shapes and molds me into the husband, father, and Christian servant they need me to be.
Learn the Bible More Thoroughly at CLI
Currently, my family and I are planting a church in our home. We are muddling through the process but know the Lord will do mighty work in our lives.
I desire to learn the Bible more thoroughly and hide it in my heart. Then, God can use my family and me in any way He chooses. Christian Leaders Institute and CLI’s Leadership Excellence School allow me to gain the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to expand His Kingdom further.
Learn more about online ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.