Scared for My Life!

Growing up, Maxine wanted nothing to do with Christ.

“My parents took my brother and me to church as kids, which provided a faith-based background for us. Yet I always felt like a robot, just going through the motions and doing what I was told,” Maxine shares. By the time she became a young adult, Maxine had firmly decided to follow her own path, not knowing the danger it would bring.

Frequently attracted to “bad boys” in those days, she reached a turning point when one of these boyfriends paid an unexpected visit to her dorm room.

“He visited me in my dorm room with a gun in his hand and was totally drunk and acting crazy,” she reflects in horror. “I was scared for my life! But that’s when I knew, more than ever, that I needed a Savior.”

New Beginnings

After calling on Jesus to get her through that terrifying night, Maxine began to realize the folly of rejecting His plan for her life. Soon she began to notice big changes in her heart.

“I used to deliberately choose to sin, and it wouldn’t even bother me,” she now admits. “But after truly surrendering to Christ, my sins mattered to me! I didn’t want to hurt God anymore.”

Maxine went on to complete graduate school, where she met Sam, her future husband. After they moved to California and started a family, Maxine began her career as a children’s social worker.

An Unexpected Blessing

One night in her Los Angeles home, Maxine happened to discover a TV broadcast by Inspiration Ministries. She watched intently as David Cerullo shared his heart to the late-night viewers. “As I watched, I felt full of joy and new hope for my life!” she recalls. “The Lord was speaking to me through David’s clear, humble message, and I wanted to get involved with his ministry.”

Maxine sowed her first seed to Inspiration Ministries that evening, and it was the first of many gifts she has made to reach souls for Christ worldwide.

When asked why she feels led to financially support the ministry on an ongoing basis, she replies, “I love what you are doing in touching lives. Whenever I give, it feels like I am going to the bank of Heaven to make a spiritual deposit.”

Not only has Maxine found fulfillment in touching lives through her partnership with Inspiration Ministries, but blessings have abounded in her own life as well. “I’ve received breakthroughs in my finances and deliverance from negative situations in my life. Honestly, I’ve seen so many blessings, I’ve lost count!” she exclaims.

New Purpose

Now Maxine is confident she’s discovered her God-given purpose in life as a sold-out follower of Christ.

“I know I’m meant to dedicate my life to humanitarian causes until the day I die,” she says. “During the day, I work as a probation officer in Los Angeles County, and on the weekends I help children with special needs, participate in local food drives, and serve at church. That’s my purpose in life, rolling up my sleeves to meet people where they are and touch their lives with the love of Jesus.”