Tina Marie Burris
United States
Hello everyone!
I lead a simple life with my husband, Jeff, and our many animals. My life was once not so simple and full of the constant battling of demons! Those demons were smoking cigarettes, drinking, unmarried sex, and the list goes on and on. I was so very very lost. I did, however, around the age of 6 or 7, ask Jesus into my heart, with the help of the very loving principal of my private Baptist school I happened to be attending at the time. My time in Baptist school was abruptly stopped when my parents got divorced. I was then thrown into public school and soon was lost to the demons of this world and lost for a long time! I met my husband at the age of 32 and got married about 2 years later. We were actually born just 16 days apart in the same maternity ward of St Joseph’s hospital in Tampa, FL. It took us 32 years to finally meet face to face. God brought us together for a definitive reason! We have both helped each other survive our demons (alcoholism and smoking cigarettes) and overcome tough times. Together, we climbed out of the deep hole of despair.
It was probably around 8 years into our marriage (2-3 years ago) that my mother died, God rest her soul. At this time, I was heavily into politics and my views and ideology drastically differed from my mother’s and my siblings. So much so, that the demons took advantage of this and drew a thick line of division between me and them at the exact time I was trying to be there and help my sister take care of my mom. Ever since this time, my relations with my half sister and half brother have seriously been damaged and I pray to God to help bring us back together again. I have since quit politics for the most part. If I feel God is reaching out to me about someone or a special cause, I may vote, but no matter what side you are on or how valiant you think your cause is, the only one that is going to save all of us is Jesus Christ! Amen and Hallelujah!
As I said previously, I had been lost and blind for a very long time! Imagine that! Lost and blind! One day before I had completely given up on politics, I picked up the Bible with the superficial intentions of studying theology so that I could one day debate people and show them how smart I am. Well, little did I know just how miraculous and powerful God’s good word is! It drew me in. Ever since I started reading, I’ve been wanting to read more and learn more. I’ve been completely enthralled. The light of God was shining on me and he was trying to call out to me! This scared me a little, because Jeff, my husband, was a big time agnostic – not quite sure about God. I was afraid this would ruin our marriage so I did not really speak much about it to him. Well, that did not have to last very long. One day Jeff received a divine sign from God. I’ll save this story for another time. He, too, picked up the Bible and started reading, and our love for God grew together. We have both since acknowledged our sins and have repented to Jesus Christ, our beautiful Lord and Savior and have thanked him for the suffering and death he took on for our salvation.
Quite honestly, I do not know yet what I want to do with this ministry training. I pray to God every day to help guide me in the right direction. My plan is to keep moving forward with this training, God willing, until I receive his word one day on how I should proceed. My husband is also taking the training, so who knows, maybe we will minister together or maybe he will minister and I will be his little helper! Either way, I’ll be serving my Lord and Savior in one capacity or another and that’s the ultimate goal.
I welcome any fellow CLI students to contact me via email, as I am always game for making new Christian friends!
Peace be with all of you!
Tina M. Burris
Study the Bible
My name is Saris Hovaguimian. I was born in 1962 in Aleppo, Syria. I lived in Lebanon until the age of 14, and I have been a resident of California since 1978.
I was brought up in a religious family, attending the Armenia Apostolic Cathedral. During my elementary school 
years, I attended an all-boys Catholic school. In my 20’s, I served in the Armenian Cathedral Choir for 15 years and helped raise funds to build a youth center . My family is very religious, God fearing, and relying on the tradition in the Church. I still see my mother and father reading the bible together. That is how they start their day.
During the time I was serving on the Church choir, I was attending law school and graduated with my Juris Doctor degree in 1987. During this time, I became distant from our Church, due to everyday Church politics, where as a young man, I walked away. As I moved further and further from my religion.
In 2112, when my career was at its top, I fell ill and I was diagnosed with congesting heart failure when my lungs were retaining fluids and I could not even walk five feet. It was so bad that I had to resign. I had to resign my position of Assistant Dean of Students at a private four-year college; I could not even leave the house. Thinking back, I believe it was God demanding my attention, when for ten years, nothing worked. After one year of doctors, and testing, I underwent a quadruple bypass. During the one year of home confinement, I started to follow Dr. Charles Stanley and his broadcasts, on a daily basis, and I started to study the bible myself. Something I had never done.
On July 18, 2014 at 5:30am as they were wheeling me into the operating room, I said “God, Your Will be done in my life. I thank you for your Grace that saved me through faith. I knew it was God’s plan, asking for my attention for obedience. That was the day where my life as a religious person ended and my relationship with God began. From that day on, my daily devotion in the mornings includes my daily reading, a conversation with the Lord, and in occasions, on my way to work, the presence of the Holy Spirit is so powerful, that the broadcasts on the radio are directed to me. I have learned to Trust God, Obey God and Leave all the consequences to HIM.
I was saved by His Grace, and by good works, it is my intention to live and walk with him, praising him, glorifying him on every turn on the road to salvation.
This is my sincere belief that I can make a difference in at least one person’s life, where they can see such a tremendous change, where I know, I have His Mercy and Grace, and that I was important enough where Jesus Christ, shed his blood, for my salvation.
Sarkis Hovaguimian, M.Ed., J.D
Corona, CA
Affording Ministry Training
Affording ministry training has never been so challenging. CLI has solved this problem by making ministry training free!
My name is David, and I was born in the USA in 1993. I have three amazing kids, one of which I’ll get to meet when I finally go to Heaven. Ministry in the United States is fun, yet a challenging thing to do. Although we have freedom of religion, there are people who try and make it so we cannot share the Word of GOD with others.
I came to know the Lord when a friend invited me to go to church with him. However, all we did was play video games the entire time. It wasn’t until I went on my first mission trip (for all the wrong reasons) that I finally came to call the Lord my GOD and accept Him into my life.
Ever since the day I came to Christ, I’ve felt called to become a youth pastor to show kids the love of Christ, the same way they had shown me. I had a real heart for the missionary field and wanted to share my love and passion for that with the youth I will one day work with. My hope is that GOD will show just how blessed that they are for the things that they take for granted every day. Eventually, I want to start my church so I can show what GOD has planned for me and my passion for Him.
I’m blessed to have a wife that supports my dream and is willing to help me to reach it. I’m still in the beginning stages of my goal and ask that you pray for GOD’S continued guidance, wisdom, and mercy along my path. Thank you for all you’re doing to make my dream become a reality. Without CLI I wouldn’t be able to afford any proper training, and would still be struggling with GOD’S calling for my life.