Some Christian Influences In My Life!
Please contact us if you have any questions or comments or would just like some encouragement?
We were not created to be Lone Ranges in our Christian faith, and we need one another to help and be helped. We all need good Godly Christian influences. ~ Bill Greguska
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Ron & Sue Sauer And Jeff And Joe!
Ron and Sue Sauer have gone far beyond the call of duty when it has come to pointing me to Jesus Christ. I am very grateful and indebted to them. A real brother and sister Christ!
Pastor Ron And Sue Sauer Dedicated To Helping Others
Without any hesitation, Pastor Ron and Sue Sauer reflect what it means to be Christian influences using their giftedness for the good of individuals at church, Moody, and whoever the Lord puts in their life. Both Ron and Sue have been significant influences on me, especially Sue because of all our emails, texts, and conversation. Ron is a professor at Moody and is an intern pastor in Illinois.
Between Mark Malliwitz and Sue Sauer, I have had been fortunate and blessed to have excellent, wise counsel for a total of over 40 years put together. God knew I needed strong Christians to walk beside me!
There have been many Christian influences in my life, it would be too hard to list each one, but Mark Mallwitz, Sue Sauer, My Mom, Brian Larson, John Wegner, Stuart Briscoe, Tom Greguska, Joe Bova, to name a few of the more influential ones to me.
They have been a blessing to me, not only in their counsel but his faithful teaching and preaching from God’s Word. I kept asking them how I could repay all that they have done to guide me through my marriage storm and also afterward.
I distinctly remember them saying that I should comfort others with the comfort that I have received from Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:3-4) That is how this ministry of NeedEncouragment.com began from them encouraging me. ~ Bill Greguska
Mark & Lisa Mallwitz
Mark Mallwitz has helped me get stronger faith in God by the things he taught me and the way he taught me how to love and serve others by his example!
Mark Mallwitz Dedication To God
Being blessed to have Mark Mallwitz as one of the critical people to not only lead me to the Lord but to help keep me on track and to get a stronger faith since about 1990. Besides Sue Sauer, Mark always points me to Jesus Christ, which is one of the reasons I like him as much as I do! He has been a friend through thick and thin.
Mark and Lisa have had their Bible study at their home for about 30 every Wednesday night. Even though they lived out in Menomonee Falls, I still drove across town. I did this for almost all since the beginning because it was such an excellent Bible study.
Mark has been an excellent friend and also a mentor to me ever since we met back through Elmbrook church Bible study at Jack Leonard’s house.
It was great that Mark became a pastor some years ago after following a prompting to end his business career. He went into full-time ministry with BASICS in Milwaukee.
Mark told me something like, “People do not want to know how much you know, they want to know how much you care.” Mark has not only been a source of wisdom for me which has helped me increase my faith and my walk with the Lord. Mark has shown me with his actions how much he cared for me, he was there for me when my mom dies, when I was going through my divorce, helped me get a couple of jobs, encouraged me when I was depressed and confused about life. I have been blessed to have Mark and others as such good Christian influences in my life.
Mike And Susie Hayden
Because of Mike Hayden teaching me about the Holy Spirit, I got stronger faith in God, and my walk with God improved significantly!
Mike Hayden Loves To Help Orphans And The Inner City People In Milwaukee!
Back in about 1992, I broke up with a girlfriend who attended Elmbrook church with me; I was not feeling comfortable attending church while she was still going there because the break up was so new.
So I decided to try going to Eastbrook church temporarily which turned into about six weeks because I stumbled across a Bible study that Mike Hayden was leading which happened to be about the Holy Spirit.
I was recently born again in 1986, so I was a newer Christian. While attending his class, I learned something that I never knew before, which had to do with the Holy Spirit.
The teaching gave me stronger faith by instructing me about something I knew very little about. I would call it a missing link of wisdom that up until that point I did not have too much of a clue.
Many people in my life helped me with my faith, and Mike was one of them. I believe our Christian influences happen when we build friendships with one another.
I also recall a gasoline attendant named Shawn O’Gorman. I remember playing basketball at Hart Park. While walking bye to get on a bus, Shawn was right there on the corner of Haley Road and Wisconsin Avenue.
Shawn had his small Bible in his hand and asked me some religious questions. Namely about my salvation and where I was going when I died? His openness and friendliness were inviting to me mainly because I had an interest in God. I thank all those people who have been Christian influences in building a stronger faith in me via the Holy Spirit.
Bill Marris
Bill Marris has gotten stronger faith by knowing and loving Jesus Christ more and more over the years.
God Has Blessed Bill Marris To Be A Knowledgeable Teacher Of God’s Word!
Bill is a personable, intelligent, gifted teacher of the word of God, and he is a friend of mine. I have been going to his Campfire Campfire Convocations for a couple of years now.
The campfire Convocations are located in a beautiful setting on the edge of the woods, and the teaching is very Biblical because it sees things through the eyes of the Jewish people. Bill is very good at connecting the Old Testament from the viewpoint of our Jewish friends, to make a total picture of my Christian faith. Bill Marris is an excellent teacher! His teaching is in Hartland, Wisconsin. View his links above.
My Mom Loved God, And She Loved Me Even When I Was Not Lovable!
Of all the people in my life, my mom was the one who was always there for me. She helped to build a stronger faith in me.
My mom was a very wise woman, she knew a bit about the Bible, although being raised Catholic she was pretty sheltered from reading the Bible.
Mom displayed love as well as having an extraordinary ability to comfort, encourage, and motivate me when I needed it the most.
Mom used basketball as leverage for me to not only behave in school (which I did my best) but also to get passing grades. She helped to give me stronger faith during my drug and alcohol years, high school problems, all the treatment centers I went for help.
Mom was always there for me. She set an excellent example for me of how to live my life. Then when I got stronger faith by attending church regularly, reading my Bible, and getting right with God.
My mom had my back covered to say in a way, so when she lost her 2nd husband, I took care of her for the last eight years of her life. I am happy I could help take care of her in her golden years until she died. We made a good team because we worked together and communicated well, not to mention that we had mutual respect and love for each other, what a great mom I was blessed having!
Apostle Paul Lists Five Benefits God Gives All Believers:
- Made us qualified to share his inheritance (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- Rescued us from Satan’s dominion of darkness and made us his children (Colossians 1:13)
- Brought us into his eternal kingdom (Ephesians 1:5, 6)
- Redeemed us-bought our freedom from sin and judgment (Hebrews 9:12)
- Forgave all our sins (past, present, and future). (Ephesians 1:7)
7 Simple Ways To Become A Better Christian This Year
Like the motto for the army which says, “Be all you can be” I believe that applies to our lives as Christians.
We are all a work in progress and can most certainly become better. God’s work in us is never finished in us until He takes us home.
Set the goals that will help you get closer to God and make them a habit. But before I get into how you can turn your goals into godly habits, I want to offer some examples of goals that you could have. Just in case you have no idea where to begin.
The best way to become the best Christian you can be is to follow the following reminders:
- Reading your Bible
- Fellowship
- Prayer
- Living out your faith
Using the list above can help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
I admit that I have not lead a great life before I was a Christian, and even now after being a Christian for 32 years I still fall into temptation and sin. This usually happens when I have failed to make Jesus a high priority in my life and to allow other people and things get in my way. Creating good habits is so very important if you want to be the best Christian that you can be.
The Following Are Suggestions To Help You In Your Walk With The Lord
- Pray for at least 5-10 minutes a day
- Read your Bible for 10 minutes a day
- Use fasting as a spiritual exercise to strengthen your faith
- Build solid fellowship with other believers from the church
- Don’t just attend church, enjoy and participate in church
More Ways To Become A Better Christian
- Make Time To Pray, Think, And Prioritise Your life
- Keep things simple, be sure to invite God into your plans.
- Write Down Some Goals
- Without goals, you have very little to shoot for.
- Take Baby Steps
- Be realistic with your plans, don’t make them too hard to attain, in which you will probably tend to want to quit trying.
- Have A Friend Help You Stay On Track
- The Bible says that “Iron sharpens Iron’ so keep that in mind the next time you plan to do things all on your own. Accountability is a great tool to help you get what you need to be done accomplished.
- Do Your Best
- God knows that you and I have our imperfections and weaknesses. So do not be too hard on yourself. If you fail, our God is a loving God full of grace and second and third chances. But don’t abuse His grace.
- Avoid Or Limit Temptations That May Trip You Up. Is your computer, or other electronic devices keeping you from spending time with God or getting your responsibilities accomplished? Is something making it hard for you to live the life that God wants you to live, then these things ought to be removed from your life in some way.
Faith Is A Gift From God!
Praying to God over and over, and your prayers have not answered the way you wanted them to be solved, and then a person could reason that their faith was useless. Although, through my experience I remember praying and praying about things, and not getting my prayer answered, later on, to discover that it would not have been best that my prayer got responded to the way I asked.
What I was praying for was that I would make it into the NBA when I was in grade school and high school. Yes, I was somewhat disappointed. It dawned on me knowing how much I do not like to travel, and being in the NBA would mean a lot of traveling!
I am sure that you can think of a time when you felt disappointed. Only later to realize that everything was going to work out for the best. God is in control, and He knows what is best for you and me. He has proven that to me time after time again! Can you think of your analogy about faith?
Related Pages Of Encouragement:
A Special Link for a Little Extra Encouragement
What If My Problems Seem Out Of Control?
Find Hope And Encouragement From Our Links!
- If you just started believing in God, we have a page specifically for you.
- If you are dealing with anger, stress, or depression, we have information that can be of help to you.
- We have phone helplines, website links, youtube videos.
- You can learn more about us and our goals and our purpose.
- If you have a drug/alcohol problem, or if you want to get right with God you are at the right place!
- If you need to talk to someone right away, you can call 800-633-3446 or click here.
- Finally, if you have any questions, or would like to get on our email list, just let us know.
For Encouragement Call 1-800-633-3446 or Chat