Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books, Prints and Supplies Born Again Christians with a product (Books) that they can use to reach lost souls in their cities.
If you are interested in joining the prison ministry or already have a prison ministry and need a free faith-based resource for inmates, Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books is here to help! We've gathered some of the best prison ministry resources to help you get started. Check out this video from founder Jim Barbarossa to learn more, or click the links in each section to view each resource.
Devotionals
Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books founder Jim Barbarossa has written many devotionals to encourage those behind bars.
Inspirational Videos
Browse exhilarating, inspirational videos from Jim Barbarossa, founder of Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books.
Order Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books In Bulk
Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books is available in bulk!
When you visit a prison inmate, take a copy and leave go of it, use it as a material for your small group, or where the story of hope and liberation is needed. Contact us today to order bulk copies.
We hope the prison ministry resources will be helpful to you! If you would like more information about starting a prison ministry, please visit our website and contact us today. You can help us all the people of the world to give hope and light to Jesus!
People like Lighthouses and they can relate to the cover. The Lighthouse is an international symbol of hope!
Floating in the water on the bottom part of the cover we have placed, what we call trigger words. These words represent things that all people will go through at sometime in their life. Very often when we hand a person a book their eyes will be drawn to a certain word, and the tears will come opening the door to pray for them.
When offering Real Life Stories Christian Testimonies Books the refusal rate is only about 1 out of 150.
To see why these leaders prefer using Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books over Tracts, download your free copy of Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Book Edition 7 right now! http://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/digital-rls-books.html#/
Saved at Death’s Door. Say no to death. Say no to... I am 14 years old, and I have escaped death more than once. When I was four or five years old, I was at home with my family. My sister, Michele, and I were messing around wrestling. My brother was two and he didn’t like that we were wrestling. He was on the kitchen counter and he threw a toy car at me. It hit me in the forehead. My mom just told me to take my hand off my head. I seemed to be fine, but when I took my hand off, blood shot straight out of my head like a water fountain.
My sister dialed 911 and told them what had happened. There were no ambulances available, so they sent a fire truck instead. The fire truck got to our house and asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital. I didn’t want to. I have had a scar on my forehead ever since. Another time, I was playing hockey with my brother, Kaleb, and a friend. We only had two hockey sticks, so my friend had to use a golf club instead. He went to pass to Kaleb and he swung high and hit me
by my eye.
I had my toe webbing torn off one time when I jumped off of a lawn chair into the pool. The lawn chair fell in and my toe landed on the back of it and it tore. It hurt at first. I looked at it, and I only had one or two pieces of skin left until it got my bone. I didn’t want to get stitches, so I waited for it to heal.
I have had a lot of things happen in my life, but God has saved me every single time. I could have died, but I am alive. I am very blessed to have a family like mine. I have been brought up in a Christian home. My parents are both very good Christians. My dad is an elder and my mom is a dance leader.
I have gone to the same church, and I have always gone to church. I have never drank alcohol, smoked, had sex, or cursed in my life. It is hard to stay like this, but I have done it so far. I will never smoke, drink, or curse in my life. I will always Say No.
Just like I had a choice to make, you have a choice to make. I CHOSE to say no to smoking, drinking, cursing, and sex. I CHOSE life over death by choosing Jesus Christ. – Josiah
Jim and Carla Barbarossa
Phone: 219-762-7589
Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org
Website: www.reallifestoriesbooks.com
Real Life Stories Truckers Edition1 are being given away Freely through many Truck Stops across North America. If there is a Truck Stop near you, You can go in and get permission to place a Book Display like the one below, so Truckers and other people can freely take the books!Reallifestoriesbooks.com
I
was born the youngest of five children. My sisters and brothers were much older
than me. My father died when I was two years old. My mother worked very hard as
a waitress, often times, at two different restaurants to support us. My
brothers left for the Air Force right out of high school. My sisters helped a
lot around the house and were very good to me. However, I was influenced as a
small child by their peers to use alcohol and pot.
From
a young age, I was very spoiled. I was used to getting anything that I wanted.
My mother would give me material things to make up for being gone. There were
no rules set and no one to discipline me. My behavior was out of control, and I
was expelled from two private elementary schools.
When
I was 11 years old, my mom was remarried and we moved to a new home. Shortly
after, my step father took his own life. This tragic event left me alone again
while my mother was working. I was hanging with the wrong crowd, mostly older
kids, at the local pool hall. I began gambling, drinking, light drug use,
smoking, and having sex. I even began selling drugs to other kids. I lost all
interest in school and only desired to become a pro pool player and party with
my friends. Real Life Stories Books bring Hope and
Encouragement into all of Life s Storms.
I
dropped out of high school after 9th grade. My interest was in staying out all
night with friends. Often, I did not come home. I began to get in trouble with
the law and ended up in jail on more than one occasion. I was placed on
juvenile probation, and I spent time in drug rehab. I would have violent fits
of anger at home and would either get kicked out or run away. I slept at
friends’ houses, at hotels, and in cars. I even spent many nights sleeping
outside when I had nowhere else to go. I worked off and on doing construction
and other jobs to make money, but I never stayed on the same job for long.
When
I was 19, I pulled into a car lot with a girl I was dating and acted like I was
going to buy a car. The sales manager was a man by the name of Roland. I did
not know at the time, but he was also a minister. I didn’t have two nickels to
rub together, and I did not buy a car. I did, however, convince him to give me
a job as a car salesman. I was eager to learn this new profession, and it
seemed to be a perfect fit. Just like playing pool for money, I got a rush out
of selling cars and a feeling of self-worth and accomplishment in doing it.
There
was a lot of downtime at that little car lot, so besides teaching me about the
car business, Pastor Roland begin to share his faith in God with me. It was the
first time I was exposed to the Word of God, and Roland was the first example
of a real Christian man that I had ever encountered.
Soon
after I started working, I was invited to a “Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames”
play at a local church. I answered the altar call for salvation. At 19 years
old, standing there in that church, I felt the presence of God like never
before. The Holy Spirit convicted me that I was a horrible sinner and in need
of a savior. I repented and asked Jesus to come into my heart. I got saved! I
was very excited and couldn’t wait to tell people what had happened! I went to
church on and off for a period of time, and I began to read the Bible. I
claimed to be a Christian, but like the fig tree there was no fruit. Because of
my own selfish, fleshly desires I slid away from God and went back to a
destructive lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall”.
I
was confident in my sales ability, and I applied at a large volume car
dealership in Chicago. The excessive amount of money I made there contributed
to cycles of partying. Girls, bars, and drugs were the nightly norm. I became
heavily addicted to cocaine and other hard drugs. I would make up elaborate
stories to get women to sleep with me. I told so many lies; I didn’t even know
who I really was. Soon my cocaine addiction turned into a crack addiction. I
hopped from car dealership to car dealership. I lost jobs, ruined
relationships, and almost overdosed on drugs several times. The long hours and
partying were beginning to take their toll. A door was opened in my career to
be a traveling car salesman for big event sales. I had all the right
connections to become very successful by the world’s standards. I had
multi-millionaire investors that helped me start profitable businesses, but I
always messed up, blew the money, and lost my focus.
My
career led me to Arkansas where I met the love of my life. Right off the bat,
she said, “You don’t have to lie to me.” She knew who I was. I did not have her
fooled because she was living the same life that I was. She truly loved and
accepted me for who I really was! I shared my faith in God with her, and on
occasion we would attend church. We had a son together, but I soon turned to
crystal meth. At some point, my girlfriend had enough. She began to seek the
Lord through His Word and cry out to Him for help. She felt like the Lord told
her to pack up and move us back to my hometown in Indiana.
We
did move to Indiana but continued to take prescription drugs. My girlfriend had
an Adderall overdose, and she called the police. The next thing I knew, the
state was present and they took our kids away from us. My girlfriend’s daughter
was sent to her dad in Arkansas, and my son was sent to my mother’s house for
almost a year. We got married, and my wife submitted herself to God. She was
set free of drugs indefinitely. I continued drug use when I was away on
business. Two days before the state returned our son, I had a drug relapse. By
the grace of God, my son was returned to my wife. Stories of Hope
A
few months later I flew to Seattle, Washington on a business trip. While I was
there, I had an overwhelming urge to get high. I found a place where I could
buy crystal meth. I borrowed a business associate’s rental car then went to
purchase the drug. I had a horrible feeling inside that this was all wrong and
I should definitely not do it. The urge was too strong, and what happened next
completely changed my life. I proceeded to get high and almost instantly felt
the presence of evil all around me. I was scared and paranoid. I drove through
the Canadian border thinking that it was a toll plaza. I ended up in a high
speed pursuit with police chasing me from every side. I ran from them for
miles. The police stopped my car with road spikes. They broke all the windows
out of the car, violently pulled me out, and held me at gunpoint. It was only
by the grace of God that I was not killed that night!
The
Canadian police took me to the hospital. The doctors had to medicate me to slow
down my heartrate. They told me I was lucky that I did not overdose. I spent
the night in the hospital, and then the police escorted me to the local jail.
There I was alone, in complete despair, facing several felony charges and the
loss of my family. I remember feeling guilty for all the bad things I had done
in my life and all I had put my wife and family through. Here I was locked up
in a jail cell, in a foreign country, while my wife was at home pregnant with
our daughter! I fell to my knees and cried to the Lord wholeheartedly. I
repented and asked God for forgiveness. I promised Him that if He would once
again get me out of this mess, I would serve Him every day for the rest of my
life. This time, I meant it! A couple of days later, I went to court and found
favor with the judge. They released me, and I flew home.
I
became a completely new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things
have become new.”
This
time, I meant business! When I got home I finally held to my word with God.
After years of rebellion and chasing after my own selfish desires, I gave up. I
surrendered my will over to God and began to wholeheartedly seek His will for
my life. I changed my job, the places I hung out, and the people that I spent
time with. I separated myself from anyone who was living a sinful lifestyle. I
surrounded myself with people who loved God and kept themselves from sin. I
prayed, read the Bible, and went to church regularly. I grew to love God and to
know Him as the loving father that I had always been searching for.
My
own heart’s desires began to change from the selfish pursuit of obtaining
material wealth to the desire to serve God and to serve others at all costs. My
entire outlook on life has changed. I have come to realize that everything I
went through in life was to bring God glory and to testify of His greatness,
His mercy, and His grace. I am grateful that the Lord never left me. He stood
by my side through every storm in life, and I know for certain now that He
always will be by my side. The Bible says that God will never leave you nor
forsake you.
Years
have gone by, and I am completely set free from all addictions. I no longer
live in the bondage of sin. God has not only restored all that I lost in life,
He has added every single blessing that you can imagine. I share my life with a
beautiful, loyal, loving woman who also shares the same desire to serve God. My
wife is my best friend and soulmate. We have been blessed with two happy,
healthy children. Our house is full of love and definitely full of God.
Everyone that has known me can see a tremendous positive transformation in my
life, and I praise God for that!
My
career is going better than ever, and we have been blessed financially. God
always prospers everything that my hand is put to do. Since making Jesus Christ
the Lord of my life, things have never been better, and I truly lack nothing!
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.”
It seems like it was always Christmas time when things would fall apart for me. But one Christmas . . .
It was Christmas time, the season in which you celebrate family and friends and shower each other with gifts and love. I was only three years old that year. The memories are vague, but the hospital room that my daddy died in still lingers in my mind. Why did he have to go? Why did he have to have a brain tumor? Why didn’t I ever really get to know him? I’ve often wondered what he was like. I was too little to remember, but oh how I wished I could remember him. I’m sure he was a loving daddy.
My mother was left to raise four children under the age of five, and she did the best she knew how to. It must have been overwhelming for her. I was too young to really understand how much this would affect her life and the lives of my siblings and me.
A few short years later when I was only six, she remarried and I had no idea what would follow. I didn’t know what to think about having a step dad until one day he started doing things to me that a daddy shouldn’t do. This went on for about three years. I was old enough to know that these things could not be right. This surely wasn’t what a daddy was supposed to be like, was it? And if it was, I surely didn’t need a daddy or ever want a daddy.
I hate those memories --- many of which are blocked out of my mind but have haunted me for years. I didn’t have many friends. I kept to myself probably because of the shame in my heart from him violating me. My mom found out what he was doing and quickly packed us up with only what we could carry on us and one favorite toy each. She rushed us onto a plane that safely returned us to our home. I thank the Lord my mom didn’t hesitate to protect us once his violations were exposed.
We lived with my grandfather for a short time until he died. Again, another man vanished from my life. Were there any daddies out there that were good and wouldn’t die?
My second step dad came into the picture several years later. He wasn’t like my first step dad. He treated us well and took care of us . . .
Until one Christmas morning, when he was nowhere to be found. Where was he?
He had checked himself into a hospital, and I never saw him again after that. I can only guess that the responsibility of raising four children that were not his own was too much for him. Is THIS what a daddy was supposed to do? Just leave when things get rough? How would I EVER know what a REAL dad was supposed to be like?
It seemed that it was always Christmas when things fell apart for me . . .
But one Christmas, the best Christmases of all, the Daddy of all Daddies came into my life! His name was Jesus, and He came to heal my broken heart and mend my many wounds. He would never leave me. He would never forsake me. He would most certainly never hurt me. He PROMISED.
My mom went back to school and became a nurse. She remarried again and has been married to my step dad for over 25 years now. Since that time, God has blessed me with a godly husband who is a loving and caring father to our children and a loving and caring husband to me. I can trust him, and he is faithful. His father was a true testament to me of what a real father should be like. It grieved my heart when he went home to be with my Heavenly Father, but he touched my heart in a special way.
If you’ve had a daddy or a step dad or someone else close to you that has hurt you in painful ways, please tell someone. Don’t hide it away. God never intended for his children to be abused, misused, or humiliated. In my pain, I made some wrong choices that have affected my life. The devil would have liked to destroy me. But I found victory through my living Father who is still doing a great work in me today. Won’t you run into the arms of the best Father of all? His name is Jesus.
Jim and Carla Barbarossa
Phone: 219-762-7589
Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org
For salvation that comes from trusting Christ --- which is what we preach --- is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation. For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect; they all have the same Lord who generously gives his riches to all those who ask him for them. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
