Tag Archives: Inspirational

South Carolina Sheriff Fulfills Pennsylvania Boy’s Dream

The Christmas holiday became a little more special for a Pennsylvania boy who thought his dream of learning to be a hunter had ended with a mix-up.

Alex Collins lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his mother Leslie.  Leslie is a single mother who has been ill and is not able to take her son to the hunter’s education classes let alone take him in the woods to hunt.

Alex and his mother heard about a program launched by the Sheriff of Chester County, South Carolina where the Sheriff would take young men and teach them how to become hunters.  The report only said Chester County, so Alex mistakenly thought it was Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Alex and his mother dropped off letters at the Chester County, Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Department asking for Alex to be a part of the program.

Alex was crushed when he found out about the mix-up.

That’s when Chester County, PA Sheriff Carolyn Welch contacted Alex Underwood, Sheriff of Chester County, South Carolina.

The Monday after Christmas, Alex was flown to Chester, South Carolina by Underwood who took the boy to learn how to be a hunter.  He bought him all the gear he needs to go into the woods and bag a deer.

The two Sheriffs and deputies of both departments chipped in to send the boy on the trip.

“People read the story and it just took off,” Underwood told the Herald. “Everybody wanted to make sure Little A (Alex) was taken care of, and I want the whole country to know that we are going to show Little A the best hunting and fishing trip anybody ever had.”

Fox News reports that Sheriff Underwood said Alex is going to be taken to a “secret hunting spot” that is held so closely by sheriff’s department employees that Alex has to promise not to tell anyone how to find it.

Spiritual Flash Mob Blessed 12,000 On Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve became a little more joyful for over 12,000 residents and workers in the area of Liquid Church in New Jersey.

The pastors arranged for what they called a “Spiritual Flash Mob” after services on Christmas eve where members gave bags of cookies and vouchers for meals at local restaurants as a way to show love to their community.

“It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm to go out and share God’s love after each service,” said Liquid Church Pastor Tim Lucas. “And we just heard from some police officers in Times Square sharing that they just received a bag from a Liquid Church family. It made their day to know that they matter, especially on a day like today. Now that’s what we call putting our faith into action.”

“People who work on Christmas Eve, they’re the shepherds keeping us safe – police, firefighters, EMS, nurses and doctors. And there are plenty others who have no choice but to work today,” Lucas told the Christian Post. “So we are commissioning our families to go and spread good news before they do anything else today. We need to let the people they will meet today that they matter to God and to us.”

The church said it was a way for the members of the church to reflect in a way the herald of good news that brought the good news of Christ on Christmas eve.

Christian Returns Wallet With Scripture Note

A South Carolina man who left his wallet behind while he was traveling out of state is having a Merry Christmas after an anonymous Christian returned the wallet with everything inside.

Bruce Ryland stopped for gas in Warren, South Carolina while returning home from a trip to Atlanta.  He remembered using a credit card to pay for the gas but doesn’t remember where the wallet went after that.   He told a local TV station he probably left it on the top of the car when he drove off.

The wallet had over $300 inside.  Ryland called the gas station to see if anyone had turned it in but nothing had been found.

“I was running crazy, canceling credit cards, debit cards, trying to scramble and get the insurance cards and drivers license,” he said.

Over a week later, a package arrived in the mail from someone in Sparta, Georgia identified as “N. Cummings.”  Inside, the wallet with all the cash enclosed and a note that outlined the Biblical reasons for returning the wallet:

“Three Scriptural reasons I am moved to do this,” it read. “Please read them for yourself: Luke 10:27, Luke 16:10, Psalms 83:18. You’re welcome.”

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself,” the first verse reads.

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much,” the second states.

“That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth,” the third Scripture reads.

Ryland tried to find the Christian behind the letter but couldn’t find them.  So he sent a gift card to the return address on the envelope for $305 dollars…the same amount as the cash in the wallet.

Police Officer Shows Grace To Grandmother Caught Stealing Eggs

An Alabama police officer says he just wants to encourage those in his community to feed the hungry after media caught wind of his act of generosity toward a woman who was caught stealing eggs to feed her grandchildren.

Tarrant officer William Stacy was called to a Dollar General store on December 6th after 47-year-old Helen Johnson was discovered with eggs on her pocket.  Johnson said she had gone into the store with $1.25 to buy eggs and found the eggs were $1.75.

She placed three eggs in her pocket and was caught by store personnel.

The officer discovered that Johnson’s two grandchildren, ages 3 and 1, had not eaten since two days earlier.

Officer Stacy said that unlike many other times when he’s called to the scene of a shoplifting crime, this seemed like the case of a woman who was desperate to help her grandchildren.

“She started crying,” Stacy told reporters. “She said, ‘I need help. I need help, Officer Stacy, I need to put food in my babies’ stomachs.’ That’s what got me. That’s what hit me the hardest. I told her [to] park on the side of the parking lot. I ran in, bought the carton of eggs, came back outside, handed them to her and she got very emotional, very apologetic.”

A customer in the store caught the incident on camera and uploaded it to the web.  In that time, the family has received SUV loads of food from a local food bank and other officers in the area.

“I don’t see myself as a hero,” Stacy stated. “I’m not a big fan of cameras and the spotlight. I just want to do my job, do it the right way, and spend time with friends and family.”

Heroes Of Sydney Terror Attack Praised

In the wake of the Islamic terror attack on a Sydney café, local officials are confirming the acts of bravery committed by the two hostages killed during the assault.

The first victim was a 38-year-old mother of three who died protecting a pregnant co-worker.  Katrina Dawson was a lawyer who worked in the central business district opposite the café.  She had been drinking coffee with Julie Taylor, a fellow lawyer who is pregnant, and when terrorist Man Haron Monis began firing she used her body to shield her friend.

The other victim was Tori Johnson, the manager of the Lindt Café.  Johnson jumped forward when the terrorist began to fire at the hostages in an attempt to wrestle the gun away from the attacker.  He suffered fatal wounds during the fight with Monis.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott admitted to the press that the attacker was not on the terrorism watch list.  He could not explain why the openly hostile jihadist was not on the list.

The London Daily Mail said that Monis was on bail related to charges that he had plotted to kill a woman at the time of his assault on the café.

Missouri Man Cleaning Ferguson “To Please God”

A 23-year-old St. Louis man is gaining attention for obeying what he says was instructions from God to clean up Ferguson.

Terrance Williams aspires to become a police officer.  He said he was watching the riots on television and praying about the situation.  Heartbroken, he cried out to God asking what he could do about it.

“My heart just began to cry out to God, and I just asked Him, ‘What can I do? What can Terrance do to go out there and make a difference?’” he told the Daily Signal. “Later that night, the Lord just put it on my heart, ‘Son, I want you to go out there and I want you to clean up.’”

“Originally, I was going to start at 9 o’clock and it hit 6:30, and my heart just began to [seem to say], ‘Get up! Get up! Get up!’” he explained. “And I got up at 6:30, and I went to the store. I bought some bags and a pair of gloves, and I just put my green boots to the ground and just began to walk and do what God put on my heart to do.”

Williams said that he’s been out working on the streets to clean up and people have been walking up to volunteer to join the effort.  People from all walks of life have joined together to bring hope out of the hate.

“It’s not just about white or black,” Williams stated. “It’s about all walks of life. I met people who wanted to shake my hand just to say thank you for cleaning up. I’ve met business owners that expressed to me how they felt… It’s just been an awesome experience and it’s just been amazing.”

Williams says at the end, all he cares about is whether or not what he is doing pleases the Lord.

Woman Praises God For Changing Mind On Abortion

A British woman has been telling everyone that God is great after Christians gave her the hope to save the life of her child rather than going through with an abortion.

Suzan Briggs, 27, named her now 8-month-old daughter Miracle.

Briggs told the BBC that she had scheduled an abortion because she already had three children and didn’t think she could handle a fourth child.  She arrived at the appointment only to be met by members of the pro-life group Abort 67.

“They started preaching the word of God and telling me abortions aren’t good,” she told the BBC. “They told me God would help me and give me strength.  I tried not to listen to them, but they were praying for me and I was crying and shaking.  The way they talked to me gave me faith and their encouragement made me decide to keep the baby.”

But the group didn’t just talk her out of the abortion and leave her hanging.  The group stayed in touch with Briggs, bringing her clothes for the baby and other supplies she needed to get through her pregnancy.

“When I finally saw my daughter, I thought, ‘How could I have wanted to terminate this baby?’” she explained. “Everybody says she’s so cute. When they say that, I thank God I didn’t do it.”

Doctors Head To Africa For International Volunteer Day

On World Volunteer Day, December 5th, two doctors with international missions group SIM are heading to Africa to serve in hospitals treating patients with Ebola.

International Volunteer Day was established by the United Nations in 1985 as a way to encourage volunteerism around the globe.  SIM International focuses on helping people around the world and Dr. Dan Crawford of SIM said he’s excited to help those in need in Africa.

“We feel like we are well prepared,” Dr. Crawford told USA Headline News.  “You can’t be completely prepared until you are there, but we don’t really feel any great anxiety about the disease itself.  We know we are in God’s hands wherever we are and there are dangers wherever you work.  There is, however, anxiety about going to a new place.”

Dr. Crawford has spent 15 years volunteering monthly at a low-cost clinic in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. John Fankhauser will also be volunteering with SIM’s Ebola mission.  Dr. Fankhauser had been practicing family medicine at the SIM ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia when the Ebola outbreak started.

He has personally been quarantined twice because of possible exposure to Ebola.  He said it’s God’s call on our lives to help those in need and so he has no problem going back after his second quarantine.  He trusts the Lord will plan his days and he trusts in Him.

Church Gives $500 To Each Member To Bless Community

A church that gave each member $500 with orders to bless their community are reporting a big difference in the lives of thousands.

LaSalle Church had made a real estate deal that provided significant funding.  The church gave $500 to each member in September and pastor Laura Truax says the ways God has used the money is amazing.

One couple, Janet & Jim MIlkovich, donated their money to a program called Breakthrough Urban Food Ministries that provide healthy meals to seniors.

“It was wonderful,” Janet Milkovich told Christian Post. “The manager of the Fresh Market Pantry said that there are a lot of senior citizens on the west side of Chicago that depend on the fresh market and are so appreciative of produce and they were going to make sure that they were able to get healthy food.”

One member contributed his money to a missionary in Ivory Coast who was helping a woman that was cast out by her family.  The woman had lost a leg due to an infection.

“What he was struck by was the amount that was needed which was exactly $500,” Pastor Truax said. “So Eric’s money went to this woman in the Ivory Coast who needed a prosthetic leg. This is just the way God does it though, right?”

“That’s the economy of God, we weren’t created to be tight fisted people, we were created to be open handed people,” she said. “To move past our fear. That’s what’s going on.”

New York Student Gets OK For Christian Club

A New York student who had been told that she could not start a Christian club called “Dare To Believe” has now been given the go ahead to start the group.

Liz Loverde was told in September that she could not start the club.  Principal Carolyn Breivogel said that the club’s existence would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

The Liberty Institute contacted the school on behalf of Loverde when her family sought help to protect the girl’s constitutional rights.  The group told the school the denial of the Christian group was a violation of the Equal Access Act of 1984.

The school then reversed its decision and approved the Christian group along with other student groups.

“It took a lot of courage for a 15-year-old girl to come forward to reveal that her principal said Christian clubs are illegal,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel of the Liberty Institute. “It is always a scary position for students to take a stand against government school authorities who hold significant power over their everyday lives. We look forward to Wantagh High School respecting Liz’s religious liberty at school.”

The school denied that they had refused to allow the group.