My name is Brent Tyler, and I am taking online Bible courses at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). Originally from Riverside, California, I currently reside in Portland, Oregon.
I graduated from Full Sail University with an Associate of Science in Music Production, expecting that it would just be a “hobby.” Little did I know, God put me through that program. Not only did it lead to my salvation, but I utilize almost everything I learned in that program serving in the church.
The Pacific Northwest is one of the most unchurched areas in the United States. Portland, Oregon, is full of hippies, druggies, far-left/far-right protests, social justice, and homelessness. It also happens to be one of the top cities in the country for the number of strip clubs per capita. Being a Christian in Portland is like finding a silver dollar face up on the ground – it doesn’t happen very often.
My Youth
Growing up, I did things opposite of the Christian walk. I experienced many, many traumatic things in my childhood that led to issues internally. Therefore, I went down an intense, dark path to destruction. I was the school punching bag, assaulted by other kids and my earthly dad. Through all that, I have a mom who battled her own demons. Whether working sixty-plus hours to provide for my little brother and me or dealing with a mental health crisis, I spent most of my time alone. We were always moving, and I was constantly changing schools, so building friendships was difficult. There was a time when I went to Faith Community Church in Glendora, California, as a kid. I only went to watch worship and play on the computers after service. At ten years old, those two things were the highlight for me.
When I hit my teenage years, I struggled even more. Getting abused by my earthly dad and other kids at school, I found it difficult to cope. Instead of looking to God, I attempted to end my life multiple times. From sixteen to eighteen, I was in the hospital fourteen times for attempting suicide. They put me into two dual diagnosis rehabilitation centers. There, I learned how to do drugs, where to get them, and how to hide them – as a teenager.
Struggles
My path got darker when I started dabbling in the occult. On drugs, dabbling in the occult, in and out of hospitals, my family reached a breaking point. They kicked me out at seventeen. Despite me doing drugs and getting into trouble, I graduated high school six months early. All of this led to me spending a total of six and a half years homeless as an adult.
For a time, I went to Calvary Chapel. Every time there was an altar call, I went forward. Just a kid, I liked the attention. As a kid, I didn’t really understand the concept of giving my life to the Lord. I didn’t grow up in a Christian household, had a druggie earthly dad, and a mentally ill mom. The best support system I had in place was my grandparents, who also are not Christian. I liked the attention I got at those altar calls, so I kept going up. I received a Bible from Calvary Chapel that I hung on to for nearly seventeen years through all the occult, homelessness, everything. Even though I didn’t have a reason, I hung on to it. However, knowing what I know now, the Lord had a reason!
Further Challenges
Everything in my life pointed in the direction of me surrendering to my pride. Even as a homeless man living on the streets, I was too good to take help from others. I didn’t want the help – until my life was so bad and so dark that I finally decided to ask for help. So, I went to a place called the Hawthorne walk-in center in Hillsboro, Oregon. It is a place that has resources for those in crisis, including mental health services and homeless services. I got a list of food pantries, and as I was scouring over them, I saw church after church. Every time I saw a church name, I said to myself, “Nope, nope, nope!!” I went to the only non-church pantry and got a can of cranberry sauce and a can of green beans. They told me, “Okay, you can come back in a month.”
So, I had no money and two cans of food that wouldn’t keep me full. The next day, I looked at the cans in my hand. I didn’t even have a can opener. Hopeless and angry at God for my circumstances, I caved. I grabbed the list again and found the next food pantry open. Terrified after being told by people in the church that I would go to hell, I thought, “I’m about to be murdered and buried in their garden out back.”
Finding Salvation in Christ
However, when I walked in, an older woman named Donna gave me a paper to fill out. As I looked over the paper, I come to a part where I saw a question that made my heart sink into my body. My fears completely overwhelmed me. But I didn’t run. I marked the paper accordingly and waited my turn. Naida, a very tender, loving woman who took me shopping. She was the one who got me to come to church that Sunday. I asked her, “How do people in this church feel about those who are different than they are?” She responded, “We love them.”
That was the beginning for me. Over the next three years, I remained homeless. But, I started Full Sail University. Then, I ended up getting sick and almost dying from pneumonia. God became real when my O2 saturation was 63, my blood pressure was 74/36, and my pulse was 39. Admitted into Kaiser West Side Hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon, I had pneumonia in all three lobes of my lung. The doctor who treated me told me as I was in and out of consciousness that I would not have made it if I had waited one more day. This experience made me realize I needed to change.
Ultimately, almost dying was the catalyst to my getting off the street. I knew I was going to die if I didn’t start caring about myself. After I met my current girlfriend, who is a Pastor, I found Christ. I didn’t realize that Jesus died for me. I was used to twenty-minute sermons that didn’t touch on doctrine or theology. It wasn’t until June 20, 2020, that I dedicated my life to the Lord. I was baptized and gave my life to the Lord.
Learning More with Online Bible Courses at CLI
As someone who is already seventy thousand dollars in debt, I cannot afford to pay for more schooling. I am hungry for more and more and more knowledge about God and the Bible. As a servant of Jesus Christ, I am also a minister. I am saved by grace through faith and a Child of God. Finding the Christian Leaders Institute with free online Bible courses is a huge blessing for me. Thank you, CLI, for the opportunity to become more engaged in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
My name is Rena Marconi, and I am taking online Biblical classes at Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I grew up in a small country town in western Pennsylvania. I grew up in a loving, close-knit family. A large extended family was the core of our lives. My mother was Japanese, and my dad was an American soldier. I was not raised in a Christian home. However, my family had strong moral standards and love for one another. My mother dropped us off at church every Sunday when we were little. I enjoyed it a lot. In my teen years, I strayed and looked to find something to “fill the void” I experienced. I started partying and experimenting with drugs. However, none of these gave me any fulfillment.
Meeting My Husband and God
I met my husband when I was 22. We joined a church in our small town. The pastor taught the word of God to a level where it was so relatable. For the first time, I started to understand what God was saying. We both had a hunger for the Word and attended regularly. A year later, in 1984, the pastor married us. Then another church called our pastor to minister in another town. We searched for the same teaching in other churches and could not find it.
In 1988, my husband took a new job, and we moved to Florida. In 1990, we joined Amway – a multi-level marketing business started by Rich DeVos and Jay VanAndel. We became involved with a devoted “on fire” for the Lord up line. It was at an Amway weekend convention that I gave my life to the Lord. I finally had the “void” in my life filled! We found a great church that we plugged into.
Our Family
Years later, we adopted two beautiful children! The Lord placed it on our hearts to homeschool. Again, God was so faithful to provide us with an umbrella school. Over 100 other Christian home-schooled families, pastors, and missionaries helped us teach and raise our children. It was quite the journey. Both children graduated, our daughter is working as a carpenter with her dad, and our son earned a degree in multi-cultural studies and Biblical theology to serve in missionary work.
Online Biblical Classes at CLI
We have found a Bible-teaching church that continues to grow us in areas we never knew. I started a ladies’ Bible study several years back and have been blessed by the relationships that have come from it. Seeing how God is working in all our lives has encouraged me to dig deeper into the Word of God.
Since then, I started the online Biblical classes at Christian Leaders Institute, wanting to get a firmer foundation in truth and faith. I searched and prayed for solid Biblical yet affordable classes to continue my studies. CLI online is just that. I am excited to get deeper into the studies and continue to grow and learn. I desire to help others who have the “void” that only God’s love and a relationship with Jesus can fill.
My name is Tito Mukonda, from Zambia Lusaka, and I am thankful for free online Bible School study at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I am a pastor in my local church, Zambia National Assembly of God. I am married to my lovely wife, Brenda Zulu. We have three children.
Born in 1975, I am the firstborn of 9 children. My parents were Christians, so I grew up in a Christian home. At the age of 15, I gave my life to Jesus Christ and joined as a choir member in the church. In my teenage years, my faith was tested through worldly temptations. These happened after my father died, and we remained with our mum. Life became very hard.
I joined friends who were not believers. My life was sidetracked with beer drinking and “unlocked” hair. During the week, from Monday to Saturday, my hair was dreadlocked. But on Sunday morning, I used to unlock it to prepare myself for church. However, after church, I would go to meet my friend for a drink.
My Salvation
Then, one day on a Saturday night, I had a dream. I saw a man in white linen cloth whom I saw to be Jesus. He stretched His hand to me, so I raised my hand to hold His. But He went up a bit. When I brought my hand down, He stretched His hand to me again for the second time. I thought that Jesus wanted to greet me, so I stretched my hand to hold His hand. Again, He moved up. A third time, Jesus stretched His hand. When I stood up to hold His hand, He smiled while going up and disappearing.
So I started talking to myself in the dream, “I have seen Jesus, but why didn’t he hold my hand?” Then I looked around and saw a group of people. I said to myself, “Let me go and tell these people about and what has happened?” I went to them and explained everything about Jesus I saw. The people told me, “It is because of your hair and your double life that Jesus did not hold your hand. Now, go and have your hair cut nicely and then go and tell people about Jesus Christ.” Then, I woke up, and my hair was dreadlocked. I prayed for God’s mercy and said, “Lord, have mercy on me!”
In the morning, I went to the barbershop and had my hair cut nicely. Then, I went to church. On that very day, I prayed the prayer of repentance and accepted Jesus as my Savior. From that time, I stopped the double life I used to live.
My Calling and Bible School Study at CLI
I received a challenge in my life when I explained my dream to the late Bishop Samboko. He said, “You are called to preach the good news about Jesus!” He told me I needed to find money to go to a Bible School. But I told Bishop Samboko that I don’t have money to do Bible School study. However, he said again that I needed to go to school to manage my call better. Before he died, Bishop said to me, “I leave these people in your hands, feed them.”
So, the government and the church want me approved as a minister of God. By the grace of God, as I was scrolling on Facebook, I saw Christian Leaders Institute. CLI offers free Bible School study online. I said, “God, this is what I have been praying!” God has answered my prayer! I signed up at CLI and had a warm welcome. I took the Getting Started course, which I completed and got an award. Then, I took another course, the Christian Basics. Again, I completed it and got an award. i
It’s indeed a blessing to be at CLI. I am enjoying the journey here at Christian Leaders Institute. Thanks to the president and founder of CLI, Rev. Henry Reyenga, and CLI leadership! May our good Lord richly bless you all in Jesus’ name!