I am A.J. Williams of the U.S.A.
In 2011 I experienced one of the lowest points of my life, and in that moment, while I was on my knees in my driveway pleading with God, I made the conscious decision to GIVE my life to Jesus, and live from the point on with God at the center of my life. I experienced a dramatic spiritual transformation in which I came to understand the work of Christ, and felt deeply overwhelmed by his love and compassion for me even in my unworthiness.
From that point on, I found myself consumed with the Word of God, pouring into every page and understood the Bible to be a living, breathing well-spring of knowledge and wisdom, applicable to my own life. I began to let the Holy Spirit lead me in my journey of understanding the Word, and truly began to grasp the sheer POWER of what it had to offer. I began studying the Hebrew and Aramaic versions of New Testament to get a more full understanding of the Words of Yeshua (Jesus) and began to understand the connectedness of the Christian faith to its Judaic roots.
Although I threw the concept of possibly attending Seminary around, I knew realistically speaking that the probability of my being able to take out any more student loans would be impossible due to my already insurmountable amount of student loan debt I had accrued in my early twenties.
Even still, I wasn’t ready to rush into becoming a minister, especially since I didn’t necessarily feel I was ready. However, I prayed that if there was a way to attend school affordably, that God would reveal it to me, and I came across CLI not too long afterwards.
While many foreigners may consider the United States a golden land of opportunity, my view is that there is still a great deal of social injustice and the LOVE of GOD is not being extended to those who need it the most. My inexplicable LOVE for Christ and all that he represents is something that I would pray for everyone in this dying world.
My spiritual dream is to grow in the Word of God and offer a beacon of hope to counter hatred, especially towards young people. The enemy has caused great dissentions within groups of people, and I know that is NOT the will of God; our God who is one full of unmatched, incomprehensible LOVE.
Receiving a scholarship through Christians Leaders Institute would be a confirmation and answer to my prayer of being able to attend school to grow in the knowledge of God.
I would ask anyone to pray that God provide more clarity in the area(s) in which I should pursue ministry as I continue to walk in my destiny!
Leading Young People
What happens when someone 21 years old becomes on fire for the Lord? What happens when that person is called to reach others her age and younger? Those around her are also inspired to grasp their faith. Many young people have gone to church while growing up. This action did not necessarily make them own their walks with God. Erica Ware was one of those young people. She writes,
I have been in the church since a very young age. My grandparents began to take me since I was a very small child. At the age of five, I loved to sing to the lord before my church. Though I have always been physically in the church, I haven’t always been spiritually there.
Someone needs to meet the Lord before they can lead other young people to the Lord! Many times young people who grow up in the church have not personally met the Lord. Leading young people to the Lord is difficult because many times these young people do not value their church experience. They did not develop “first-hand” faith. Ed Setzer wrote in Christianity Today
The reason that many church-attending young adults stopped going to church upon graduating from high school? Their faith just wasn’t personally meaningful to them. They did not have a first-hand faith. The church had not become a valued and valuable expression in their life—one that impacts how they live and how they relate and how they grow. Church was perhaps something their parents wanted them do. They may have grown up in church, and perhaps they faced pressure from parents and even peers to be involved in church. But it wasn’t a first-hand faith.
Church youth leaders struggle in leading young people to the Lord. Some youth leaders quit ministry out of frustration. Most Youth pastors say the key is to launch the young people who are on fire for the Lord and get them mobilized.
Erica Ware is one of those leaders who is getting mobilized to lead young people to the Lord. She is inspired by a vivid and active walk with the Lord. She shares,
I am 21 years of age now and have just begun to experience the true and wonderful love of God. I have begun to understand who He is and who He says that I am. One of my biggest struggles in my walk with God was acceptance. Now I have learned that the only approval that I need is that of God. Realizing that was a big step for me in my walk with God, and it has helped me grow tremendously.
Erica is preparing for ministry at Christian Leaders Institute. This free ministry training allows her to ground her faith so she can be more effective in leading young people to the Lord.
My ministry dream is to be able to be a leader/mentor to other young ladies striving to find their purpose and desiring to honor God with their lives. I want to lead a ministry for women who struggle in the same areas that I did as well as other areas. I want to help bring them to know the true love of Christ. I believe that CLI will allow me to be able to expand my dream as well as add to my success.
Christian Leaders Institute invites young people to take ministry training classes. You will begin with a Getting Started Class that covers the basics. All students receive free advanced training. There are programs of study that can result in a Divinity Degree for those who desire that. Sign up now for your free education.
Kelli Elizabeth Vance
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Faith-based Organization for Mental Health,
Addictions, and Homelessness
While growing up, my parents raised me, my brother, and my sister to know the Lord. When I was six years old, I invited Christ into my heart but some how lost my way. It’s hard to pinpoint what went wrong, but I was a troubled child. I had a learning disability and did terrible in school, I felt so dumb and embarrassed by it. My self-esteem was low, and my grades greatly suffered. I got kicked out of school, and ran away from home, and as a result, my life strayed even further.
I was eleven years old when I started acting out, most likely because I was sexually violated by a much older man. No one could control me, and I was always getting in trouble. At the age of twenty, I was pregnant with twins and didn’t know what to do so I got married to the father. I re-committed my life to Christ and sensed His power and Spirit active in my life but managed to slip away again. I discovered that my husband was unfaithful, and I tried to bury the pain but ultimately ended up blaming God.
Twenty-five years have come and gone, and God has been truly faithful. He never stopped loving and communicating with me, and I never stopped praying to Him. I tried many times to quit my addiction, but I could never sustain it for long. Until one day, Christmas 2008, when God dramatically intervened and profoundly changed my life forever.
My testimony is long, and I’ve done the recovery work. It’s been seven years now, and I continue to live drug-free. My relationships with my family and children have been restored. My place of employment encourages me to pray and minister to the lost. I have deep compassion for the lost and broken-hearted. I love to study and teach. Ordination is important to me because it demonstrates that I have studied hard and met the qualifications to work and fulfill various commitments in church.
When I found out CLI was free, I signed up not knowing where it would it would lead. That was three years ago. I fell in love with the professors and programs, and the learning is never ending. The quality of education from CLI, is evident by the Holy Spirit manifested in my life. I can honestly say I’m making up for lost time, and the process is still on-going. My hope is to finish Ordination then complete the Diploma program. And I plan move on to an Associates Degree. My goal is to reach others with the essentials of the Christian faith, by the Authority of God and His Word.
I sincerely thank Christian Leaders Institute for the learning and training experiences they continue to give me. May God continue to bless this school.