Some Christian Influences In My Life!

Ron & Sue Sauer Dedicated To Helping Point Others To Christ!

Without any hesitation, Pastor Ron and Sue Sauer reflect on 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 significantly influenced me, especially Sue, because of 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 many years. 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 they have done to guide me through my marriage storm and afterward.

Ron and Sue Sauer have gone far beyond the call of duty when it has come to point me to Jesus Christ. I am very grateful and indebted to them. A real brother and sister, Christ!

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

Your Life Can Be A Christian Influence If You Know It Or Not?

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.

Mark & Lisa Mallwitz


Mark Mallwitz Dedication To God!
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!

Being blessed to have Mark Mallwitz as one of the critical people to lead me to the Lord and help keep me on track and get a stronger faith since 1990. Besides Sue Sauer, Mark always points me to Jesus Christ, which is one reason 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 years 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 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. When my mom dies, when I was going through my divorce, he was there for me, helped me get a couple of jobs, and 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


Mike Hayden Loves To Help Orphans And The Inner City People In Milwaukee! Because Mike Hayden taught me about the Holy Spirit, I got stronger faith in God, and my walk with God improved significantly! In 1992, I broke up with a girlfriend who attended Elmbrook church; I was uncomfortable attending church while still going there because the breakup was so new.

So I decided to try going to Eastbrook church temporarily, which turned into 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 by 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 who have been Christian influences in building a stronger faith in me via the Holy Spirit.

Bill Marris

God Has Blessed Bill Marris To Be A Knowledgeable Teacher Of God’s Word! Bill Marris has gotten stronger faith by knowing and loving Jesus Christ more over the years.

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 our Jewish friends’ viewpoint 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.

Diana Greguska

My Mom Loved God, And She Loved Me Even When I Was Not Lovable!

Mom helped me get stronger faith by the love she demonstrated towards me! She was one of the first Christian influences in my life!

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. She was the first real Christian influence in my life. Her love for me gave me a good measuring stick about what love was.

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 and an extraordinary ability to comfort, encourage, and motivate me when I needed it the most.

Mom used basketball as leverage to behave in school (which I did my best) and get passing grades. She helped give me stronger faith during my drug and alcohol years, high school problems, and all the treatment centers I went to for help.

Mom was always there for me. She set an excellent example for me of how to live my life. Then, I got stronger faith by attending church regularly, reading my Bible, and getting right with God. I thank God for all the Christian influences that He put into my life.

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 to have!

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 army motto, 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 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 dreams into godly habits, I want to offer some examples of goals 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 had not led an extraordinary 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 to get in my way. Creating good habits is so very important if you want to be the best Christian 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 a strong 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, 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 accomplishing your responsibilities? If something makes it hard for you to live the life that God wants you to live, then these things should be removed from your life somehow.

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. 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.

I was praying 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 that 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?

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CHRISTIAN INFLUENCES