The Blessing of Learning the Bible In Depth
My name is Mary Ann Lopez. I currently live in the great state of Texas. I found out about Christian Leaders Institute when I searched for a school that offers Bible classes that are not tuition prohibitive (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). Learning the Bible in-depth and understanding the Bible better to share that knowledge with other people is my goal. It is also my goal to bring people closer to God by encouraging them to read the Bible more and to help them understand what they read. From experience, I know that if you don’t understand what you’ve read, you don’t find any use for it in your daily life.
My Spiritual Journey
I grew up in a Catholic family, and Bible reading was not a part of our daily life. It also wasn’t at the Catholic school where I finished my primary and secondary education. I know bits and pieces of the Bible through Religion classes that I took and only studied the verses to pass the class. Students depended on handouts and textbooks for studying, not the Bible itself. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the Word of God when I was an adult. It was my late husband who encouraged me by his example. When my husband went home to be with the Lord, I found comfort in reading the Bible. I found myself spending time reading the Bible and watching and listening to different preachers online. It is like I was so thirsty for the Word, I wanted to know more.
One day, my friend from church invited me to become her prayer partner. Of course, I said yes, and we started praying together once a week. After doing that for a while, we then added a little Bible study. This is when I felt a strong need to study the Bible seriously. I want to point people in the right direction by using the most reliable GPS – God Positioning System. God led me to the Christian Leaders Institute because He knows the desires of my heart. From what I have read, CLI has already helped many people worldwide become better preachers, teachers, ministers, and church leaders. I hope that I can be one of them.
My name is Jeremy Crowe. I am taking tuition free Bible classes at the Christian Leaders Institute to learn the Bible (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). I grew up in a middle-class suburb of Minneapolis, the oldest of two boys. So, I did not really fit in anywhere. Our family was poor compared to most in our community. Being the kid with the K-Mart clothes and the bowl haircut that my mom specialized in, I did not fit in at school. My parents and brother were big into sports, while I explored and figured out how things worked. So, I did not really fit in at home either.
Struggles
So, I spent most of my adolescent life looking for somewhere to belong and for someone to accept me. Around 10, I started hanging around who I thought were the cool kids. I soon started smoking and sneaking out at night. Then one night, I tried smoking marijuana. That was the first time in my life I had ever felt comfortable in my own skin. This progressed along the typical path: weed, to alcohol, to hallucinogens, to cocaine. Until one day, my friend used a needle to inject cocaine. That was when things changed from what seemed like innocent fun to a dark, ugly addiction.
It did not take long using a needle before I was introduced to heroin. That was the second time in my life that I thought I found what I was looking for. As long as I was high, nothing could hurt me. I devoted my next 22 years to the god (little g) named heroin. I followed my god anywhere he asked me to go and did anything to never be without him. So, I was a liar, a cheat, and a thief. My morals were so messed up that I did not feel bad about it. In fact, I took pride in it and was very good at it. I learned how to crack safes and used this skill to fuel my addiction.
Despair
Soon, I was in and out of treatments and jails for years. One of those “treatments” was to Teen Challenge. There, I met the one true God and began a relationship with Jesus Christ. However, the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entered in and choked out the Word. I was not willing to get rid of my old friends. So, it did not take long for me to be hopelessly lost in heroin again. But, this time, I added meth into the equation. For two years, I tried to get high enough to numb myself to the conviction I felt for trading Jesus for lies and death. The scary thing is I think I almost numbed myself enough to feel it no longer anymore. My heart was almost completely hardened.
God Stepped In
God gave me one last chance to turn to Him, and he used a second trip to prison. I was sentenced to 56 months for a burglary I committed. I was finally ready to give it all to God and trust Him with my life. It was clear that my best efforts could only bring pain, misery, and death. I got plugged into a Bible-teaching church and surrounded myself with good God-fearing men. They were not afraid to ask hard questions and hold me accountable.
Also, I met my wife at the church. We recently moved into a tiny house and are preparing to travel and spread Jesus. I will be giving the company I work for my notice that I am going to be leaving in the fall. This is a huge step for me. I really love this job, and it pays well. However, I tend to put my job first, and I would never have put a job before the god of heroin. So, we will trust God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, to provide for us as we move on to this next chapter of our lives in which we go where our God says go and do whatever He says do.
Studying tuition free Bible courses at the Christian Leaders Institute to prepare for this journey is a blessing for me. The tuition free Bible classes at CLI put me on a firm foundation, equipped to share Jesus Christ. Thank you, CLI!
Hi, I am Nicole Jonas. I am from Cape Town, South Africa. I am excited to be taking tuition-free courses in ministry education at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here).
Growing up, I lived in a family and house where we believe in Jesus Christ. My life was always full of surprises. At times, I felt like giving up. Everything I touched was a failure, it seemed. But then, God used my mom to get through to me. She had anxiety attacks, and she always needed me to be around for support. Sometimes, I felt like I had no life of my own.
Then, a day came when we were bound and determined to get help. And, our first choice was from the church. I fell in love with Jesus when He showed me the way as He healed my mom. I surrendered my life over to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
My Ministry Journey
My spiritual and ministry journey is not over yet. I have been walking this journey since a young age. There were times when I had spiritual attacks and dreams about demons and angels. At first, they frightened me. However, now I have the full armor of God through Jesus Christ. I am no longer filled with fear. I know that God has a calling upon my life. So, I want to equip myself for service in His Kingdom and walk in the purpose that God has set out for me.
I am thankful for the Christian Leaders Institute. Without the online tuition-free courses in ministry education, I would not be able to get the training for ministry that I need. I thank God for you, CLI!