God’s Grace Is Greater Than Our Pride
My name is James Szolis, and I am getting Biblical academic training at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). I am from the United States. Currently, I serve as an ordained deacon at the Korean Central Church of Baton Rouge. I am happily married to Myong Szolis, who has been my bride for 36 years. We have two children and one grandchild.
As an active person, I like to jog and work on projects around the house. I wrote a children’s book with Crossbooks Publishing titled Farmer John’s Special Flower. It is a story inspired by the Parable of the Sower. I love sports and have used sports to create Christian fellowship in the past. I have a daughter who is a local artist, and she also is an active member of her local church. Her husband is the worship leader. They have a 1 1/2-year-old son who is our only grandchild at the time. My son is in Austin, TX, and works with EA gaming company. His girlfriend is a graphic designer. My wife runs a beauty supply business and is very active in our church, also an ordained deacon.
Early Life
Born October 26, 1964, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I am the youngest of 7 children. Our family was Catholic at the time. During those years, I learned the basics of God and religion but not much beyond exterior matters. In my 6th grade year, my dad retired from the post office. We moved from the city of Pittsburgh to a small country town called Philippi, West Virginia. I only had a few interactions with the Methodist church during those years as a youth. My family was poor, and I was embarrassed by that fact and became socially uncomfortable. I never wanted to invite others to my home because I was ashamed of the condition of our mobile home.
It was during my time in West Virginia that a neighbor became a threat to our family. This fact drew much concern from my father. This man shot bullets at my feet and told me to dance. A rock hit my eye from the shooting. After that day, my dad distanced us from him. The man continued to harass us, shooting his gun as he drove by our house, usually in a drunken state. When home alone during those years, I was very afraid.
Challenges and Changes
One day, this neighbor was acting strange. So, my dad picked us up from the bus stop. As we drove towards his house, the man pointed his rifle at us. My dad was not afraid of anyone, so he got out of the truck and told the man to shoot him if he was going to. The man cocked his rifle, and I heard two shots. I was hiding in the cab of the vehicle. I thought my dad was shot. However, my dad had brought his pistol, and he shot the man who was trying to kill us. My dad was freed in self-defense. I really became less sociable after that.
Upon graduation, I enlisted in the U.S. Army and ended up in South Korea. There, I met my beautiful bride. I was always a good student and received several awards for my military service. But I had another side of me that was sinful to the core. God would change that.
Conversion Journey
After we married, my wife became a Christian and was active in the local Korean Church. Through her prayers and tears, my salvation would come but not until much later. After serving the military for 10 years, we settled in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
I was a runner, and my goal was to finish a marathon. Although not a Christian at this time, I had started attending church with my wife. I entered a 26.2-mile marathon in New Orleans when I was around 33. As I got to 24 miles, out of nowhere, a stranger yelled to me, “You aren’t running this race; God is!” Those words mean more to me now than at the time. God began to speak to me more immediately after that, but I still would not surrender. I drank a lot of alcohol and would do things that were shameful when that happened.
During this time, we also started a business, and it led us to file for bankruptcy. On 9/9/1999, I got on my knees in my living room and repented with tears. I received God’s amazing grace, and Jesus came into my heart and saved me. Since that day, my life has changed. I preached for 13 years with the youth group and sometimes adults. I learned and shared and loved the opportunity.
Calling to Ministry
I have a love for God’s Word. My favorite teacher is John MacArthur, and I definitely enjoy Dr. Feddes at Christian Leaders Institute. Currently, I am an Ordained Deacon at our local church. I was preaching on Hebrews once to our English-speaking members and came upon some teaching that had various theological interpretations. It was then that I realized I needed Biblical academic training that I could only get from attending a seminary or Bible College. I actually tried to enroll at Liberty University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. However, not only were they out of my budget, but the administrative process was long and complicated, even for online classes.
I had seen Christian Leaders Institute with its Biblical academic training a few years ago but was working full-time. So, it was too hard for me to enroll then. I retired a few months ago, so now I have all the time in the world other than watching my grandson. I pray that God can accomplish His will through me and that I do not become a hindrance for Him.
Goals
As a member of the Korean church and a part of their culture for almost 40 years, I know God’s calling for me is in the Korean community. Korean churches usually have members who speak English or Korean. So most Korean churches have two services to accommodate both languages. We invite English-speaking pastors to deliver a message, but they have no relationship with the members. My heart is for those members in Korean churches who need English ministry. By acquiring the needed Biblical academic training at CLI, I can use my opportunity to help the Korean Church in English ministry, Lord willing. If I can earn a degree, it may also afford me opportunities to do the same serving churches in South Korea.
My name is Corey Macaluso, and I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to become a Minister of the Word (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). Married for 12 years to my loving wife Christina, we live in Kennewick, WA. We have a daughter Grace who lives with her husband in western Washington. We are raising our two young boys, Jaron, 14, and Grant, 11. Family time is always the highlight of our week. We love to swim, watch movies, and play games.
My Spiritual Journey
After graduating high school in New Hampshire, I set off on a great adventure in the United States Marine Corps. I learned honor, integrity, and service to others. After four years, I went on to become a public servant.
I started going to church with my wife when we were dating. At first, I only attended for her with no interest. One night, the pastor preached a sermon on an issue I was struggling with. Then, the very next week it happened again. This time, I felt like Pastor was speaking directly to me. I started asking a lot of questions. At that point, I bought my own Bible and began to read it. In 2011, I was baptized and continued to grow in the Lord.
Passion for Ministry
A few years later, we moved from western Washington to eastern Washington. We prayed and listened for several weeks once we settled into our new home. After a few weeks, God led us to an amazing church. I continued to grow as I became an active member of the church. Eager to learn, I took on several roles as a Ministry Leader, Bible Study Leader, and Mentor for other small group leaders. I attended church training regularly as I had a passion for ministry. I wanted to learn, grow, and serve. At the time, I was unable to afford Bible College as my wife was attending college so I did not think it would work.
Minister of the Word Calling and Study at CLI
Then, a close friend asked if I would officiate his wedding. I was honored, but I would have to think about it. I researched and prayed about it. However, I did not want to just pay a fee online to automatically get an ordination in return. I wanted it to mean something, and I also wanted to be prepared for their special occasion. That is when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. I shouted, “Thank You, God!”
I am truly blessed for this opportunity. Further, I accepted my friend’s request and am so grateful for CLI. I am going to take every class possible and pursue a degree. It is my dream to serve as a Minister of the Word. God is Good!
My name is Jane Adora Horca Kyles, and I am receiving formal training for ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). I am a Licensed Professional Teacher from the Philippines. Now, I’m in California, USA. I am married to Dion Kyles and have five step-children. We have a one-year-old daughter, and I’m pregnant and believing that it’s a boy. My daughter and I just got here in Moreno Valley, California, last January 15, 2021. Our journey is such a blessing from God on how He paved the way for us to process and travel during the Pandemic.
My Youth
I’m the fourth child of 9 children, and one is dead. Since I was a child, I had an untamed spirit. They called me the black sheep of the family. Despite this, I grew up as a religious child and went to the Catholic Church every Sunday. I got a gold medal as the best in religion because I memorized all the prayers and followed by rules. However, my attitude never changed. I loved to scold every born-again Christian that I met, even the pastor that did a Bible sharing in our Barangay. I laughed at them with my Catholic friends and loved to debate them and make them feel bad.
My Spiritual Journey Begins
However, everything changed when I was in my second year of high school. One of my values teachers, who is a Baptist, shared the Gospel with us. At that moment, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I got too excited and overconfident about the truth. Since then, I got motivated to read the Bible. But the Bible I had was in English, and the church I attended had the presentation in English. So, to actually understand the Bible with all my heart, I read the English version while looking at the Tagalog Version and in My Dialect Version, Waray-Waray.
As I grew up in my spiritual life, God molded me through rebuking and correction. I had become so bold that I was blinded to the fact that everyone has a gift and others should be treated better than myself. Throughout this process, God told me to be humble and see other’s weaknesses through His eyes. So I saw the need to share the gospel and encouraging the weak.
Persecution at School
I joined the music ministry, from backup singer to worship leader. We visited specific Barangay’s every Saturday and shared the gospel at school. In my third year of high school, my friend and I visited every room to share the gospel near summertime. But then, I was summoned by our headteacher to proceed to the principal’s office. It was because I shared the gospel. The Word of God is so true as it states in Luke 21:11-12, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. For at that time, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.” From that time on felt the heavy atmosphere of persecution either from co-students or teachers.
Persecution at Home
However, my persecution didn’t start with that. I grew up in a very devoted Roman Catholic family. My father was involved in church activities during the Easter Celebration as one of the 12 apostles. My mother was a catechist. They didn’t tolerate my changing religion. My siblings were against me too. Then, my father summoned his siblings to encourage me not to read the Bible. But, I never stopped. I followed Jesus through water baptism, and my persecution got worse every day.
I cried at night, begging and believing God’s Word that if there is one person in the family saved, all of them will be saved. In the mornings, I woke up with tears in my eyes. There were times that my father disowned me and sent me away. Every time this happened, I always went to church, thanking God, and believing His promises. The church was always open. There I cried and cried until I fell asleep. Then, my mama would come to pick me up. Another scenario was when a parent visited my house early in the morning to say the worst words and tell me to stop converting her daughter to be born again. But I never stopped because God’s grace just kept me going.
God Makes A Way
Not long after that, my siblings started to follow me and go to church. It started with my older brother, who is a pastor now. Then, my younger brother and older sister were next. They are active in ministries now. Finally, three years after being saved, I was in another city. I got a message from my cell group leader that my parents started going to church with my other siblings. That’s all because of God, whose promises are true.
But, of course, my Christian life has never been perfect. While I was in another city, I struggled to be a young adult while exposed to the world. I entered into a wrong relationship. However, at that time, God kept reminding me about the 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” I kept on seeking God’s leading on how I could get out of the situation, and again He made a way.
Formal Training for Ministry at CLI
My spiritual dream is to be a missionary doing evangelist work and encouraging every church that needs encouragement. Right now, I’m holding meetings with youth from the Philippines online. I hope to use my Christian Leaders Institute training to do what God intended me to do with competency, efficiency, and mastery, knowing that much is at stake.
I’m a full-time mother at the moment with no income at all. So having this free formal training for ministry at CLI is very important for me. Ever since I was in college, I desired to have formal training for ministry education like at Christian Leaders Institute. Also, when I was helping my brother in building a church, I saw the need for formal education for leaders to be equipped to maintain, build, and equip every member. I’m so thankful that Christian Leader Institute offers a scholarship for free training to people like me, wanting to be equipped and with no income. Being an ambassador and a worker in God’s Kingdom, I believe that Christian Leader Institute is God’s best instrument as a source of providing me the proper training to do the will of God.