My name is Brenda Breed, and I live in the United States. I am answering the call of God and studying at the Christian Leaders Institute. The tuition-free ministry training courses are what I need to be equipped to answer the call of God.
My Story
It is time to allow God to use me for His Glory. I am not sure where this journey will take me. However, I will take one step at a time as God guides me in the direction He wants me to travel. The journey will have moments of joy and laughter; other times, there will be pain and sorrow. But the Lord God is always faithful. He is with me through the good and bad times.
Faith is putting your trust and hope in something or someone. I put my faith in God and trust that He has a plan for my life. All the pain, sorrow, laughter, and joy are in my life to mold and shape me into the person He created me to be.
My Childhood
I grew up in a small mining town in the Midwest. I always enjoyed attending church as my mom brought my siblings and me to church every Sunday. Dad joined us for Christmas, Easter, weddings, and funerals. Raised Catholic, I always felt that it wasn’t fair that girls couldn’t tell people about God. I would always be the ‘priest’ when we played church at home. As I grew older, I began to serve in the church. At 16, I taught Sunday School.
Meeting My Savior
In my junior year of high school, we moved to a new town and school district. There, I met a friend who introduced me to Jesus. She had been praying for a new friend, and I was searching for God. However, I didn’t grow in the Lord until I met my husband.
Marriage
I met my husband when I was a senior in High School. The first time he took me to his Bible-believing and spirit-filled church, I finally felt at home. The trouble started when I told my family that I was going to my fiance’s church. However, that is another story. We married after I graduated from high school. My husband and I are still going strong after 37 years. We have two children who have families of their own.
My Encounters with the Lord through Trials
My walk with the Lord meandered along until we lost our third child, a full-term stillborn. We had not planned on having a third child when I found out I was expecting again. But God used this time to get my attention. He used the members of our church to speak to me through words of wisdom and knowledge and lots of prayer.
The next challenge was when my in-laws began needing care. They moved in with us, and for the next 17 years, we experienced disabilities, cancer, and the death of both parents.
Challenge three, we lost everything. We had a business of 30 years that failed. The Lord allowed us to hit rock bottom. We became familiar with the local food bank and couldn’t find work. It was a year of discovering who we are in Christ and learning to trust Him.
Currently, we are rebuilding our lives. God is calling me to share what He has done and how He has shown us His grace and favor. Through the rebuilding, I discovered that God has a plan for me. It will stretch me in ways that I haven’t been before.
Answering the Call of God and Studying at CLI
I keep hearing that small, still voice. God wants me to share my life experiences with others and introduce them to Him. He is the one who is there in ALL things – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We may not understand it, but we need to trust that He has good for us. We may disagree with Him and want to rant and rail. However, we are to remember that He made us. He knows what it takes to preserve us in times of trouble.
I know that I need training for this ministry calling. So, I searched online for free ministry training and found the Christian Leaders Institute.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
Journey to be Ordained and for Chaplaincy
My name is Randall Johnson. I live in the United States of America. I am currently studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to be ordained and to study for Chaplaincy. CLI will equip me for my calling to serve God. At this point, my study at CLI has already helped me immensely in my walk with God.
My Story
When I was 22 years old, I had a born-again experience, as the Bible talks about in John 3:3. I grew up in southern California in a middle-class family. We went to church on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. As a young child, the church was like a big family. However, as my two siblings and I grew older, we went less.
As a teenager, I used drugs and alcohol and had corrupt morals. My school friends were the same as me, and we lived carelessly. I loved waterskiing to the point of training and doing a tournament. In school, I loved the sports program. However, I didn’t work hard as a student in class. The parties, the girls, and sports were my high school life.
After high school, I had difficulty holding a job or continuing in college because of my bad habits. I got in trouble with the police over drugs and went to a mental hospital for a couple of weeks. All this caused me to wonder if there was a better way. Then, I was on a fire crew in northern California. I pondered about life and death after the tragedy of some firefighters dying in one of our big fires. I remembered the Sunday school stories about Jesus and His death and resurrection.
Surrender and Change
Later, at a low point, I went to a rescue mission in Grants Pass, Oregon, to escape the cold and rain. There, I prayed to Jesus one night with the elders of the mission. I felt the burden of my sin and its weight disappear! Jesus forgave me on the cross! I had a new life as I was “born again” in Him! That is when I started a new life and had a reason to leave the old ways behind. After that, I wanted to be part of the church and tell everyone about my Saviour.
Since then, I’ve worked in ministry and missionary work for over 40 years. However, I want to learn more and do more for Jesus. Christian Leaders Institute has inspired me to grow in my walk with Jesus. CLI is teaching me new things as I work toward getting ordained for Chaplaincy. It is tuition-free and allows me to proceed even with my busy work schedule at the boatyard. I am very grateful for that and plan also to be a supporter. Thank you, CLI!
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, automatically enrolling you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.