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.
My name is Kathi Johnson. I am what you may consider a bi-vocational minister at a small church in Little River, South Carolina, USA. Taking free online ministry courses at the Christian Leaders Institute gives me credibility and confidence to minister (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
My Spiritual Journey
As a daughter of a youth pastor and later a pastor, I grew up in church. It was a requirement to be there every time the doors were open. I accepted Christ as my savior at the age of 6, but I do not think I understood the importance of a relationship with Him until much later.
I married at the age of 18. When I moved out of my parents’ home, I also moved away from church life. Going into ministry was never a consideration of mine, but God had other plans. Through my children, God led me to my current church. There, He has grown me far more than I could have ever imagined possible.
For more than a decade, I have served in various roles. Each one taught me something new and led to a closer relationship with the Lord. However, due to a rather conservative background, one of the biggest struggles I faced was an internal conflict with the role of women in church leadership. Therefore, I greatly appreciate the discussion of that topic in the introductory class at Christian Leaders Institute. Last year, I was endorsed by our Pastor and licensed for ministry through our affiliate organization. Currently, I serve in what is an Associate Pastor role.
Finding CLI for Credibility and Confidence to Minister
I am a nurse by trade with a Master’s in Nursing Education and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. I would have never accomplished those degrees without God by my side. They are a part of His plans for me. However, while I planned to teach at the collegiate level, He seems also to be directing me down a ministry path. Unfortunately, the student loans from my nursing education have prevented me from pursuing any further ministry education.
In God’s timing, I discovered the Christian Leaders Institute and the opportunities offered. My goal is to gain more knowledge, credibility, and confidence to minister to those I serve. I am still uncertain what God has in store for me, but I am ready to say “yes” to whatever He asks.
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 Larry, and I am getting ministry training and ordination at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
My Early Years
As a young child, my family was very involved in the church. Both of my parents taught Sunday school. During the week, my father had an occasional prayer breakfast with other men. My mother stayed at home. She was a babysitter, and other young kids filled our house. My mom would go over her Sunday School lessons with the kids. They loved the stories. It was a great way to present the gospel to them and for her to practice the lessons.
However, things changed in my teenage years. My parents put their faith to the side and began spending time in the bar – alcohol and partying replaced the Bible stories. However, they never denied their faith. They stop practicing it. It was this change in lifestyle that was detrimental to their marriage and our family. Eventually, it led to divorce – ending a 26-year marriage.
My Spiritual Journey
In the meantime, I had graduated high school and joined the Army. The on-again, off-again faith plagued me for several years. I always felt secure in my faith but lived in grace as I pursued worldly passions. I knew I was not living right. There were times I came back, putting the drinking and related lifestyle on hold to pursue my walk with God. Then, I would find myself weak and give in to the world around me. However, the Lord never gave up on me. As I continued to seek him and his will for my life, he revealed himself to me. The times I strayed became fewer, the joy I received from the world began to diminish. I wanted nothing to do with it.
Marriage
In 1992, I met Rene. She had a real heart for the Lord. She and I were kind of in the same place with the world. I loved her from the moment I saw her. Her desire to know more about the Lord resonated with me. We began to spend more and more time in God’s Word. When we met, I was training to be a Green Beret, which consumed a lot of my time. Rene had just completed four years of service with the Air Force. She came back to North Carolina for my graduation but then returned home and began school in Nebraska. I was heartbroken. I thought she would stay, and we would be married.
Rene and I had only known each other for six months. Four of those months, I was gone, training. Then, two weeks after she started school, she decided to come back to North Carolina. Two weeks after that, we married. It was a small ceremony outside in the rose garden of Fayetteville Technical College. We are approaching 30 years of marriage, have raised two wonderful boys, and now enjoy our grandchildren.
A Stable, Christian Home
My life experience convinced me that I wanted a stable, Christian home for our family. I knew I could not do it alone. It had to be her desire as well. God has blessed us. It has not always been easy, nor has it always been pretty, but we have provided that stable constant example of faith for our family. God willing, we will continue to do so.
I like to say that we grew up in the church with our kids. When they were in children’s church, we were involved with the ministry – spending time in the nursery and teaching. When they were in middle school and junior high, we taught those classes. The same with high school and young adults. Now that we are “empty nesters,” we sought out other ministry opportunities. One of which was starting the Asher Family Foundation working to support marriage and families. Our goal is to partner with churches and other ministries to support them as God leads.
Ministry Training and Ordination at CLI
The training I am receiving from the Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) is helping me to define my ministry further and prepare me for that calling. So far, I have completed the licensed wedding officiant course. Now I am nearing completion of the Deacon Ministry Ordination. The process of ministry training and ordination has been more beneficial than I imagined. We have examined our calling, discussed being tested, learned basic Christian doctrine, and much more. CLI is quality education, a worthwhile endeavor, and a true work of the Lord!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.