{"heading":"My Story ","id":13620653,"theme":{"name":"dark","colors":{"background":"#ffffff","button":"#ad97ef","buttonText":"#ffffff","heading":"#36434d","text":"#5e6971"}},"button":{"text":"","url":""},"visible":true,"text":"

Hi, I’m Joseph Anfuso. As the founder of a Christian relief and development organization called Forward Edge, I’ve spent the past four decades providing opportunities for everyday Jesus followers to discover their true worth and pursue God’s extraordinary purpose for their lives. Birthed out of an international church-planting ministry, Forward Edge has a long track record of helping local churches mobilize people for ministry—here in the U.S. and around the world.

After surrendering my life to Jesus in 1974 at the age of 24, I tried like most new converts to deepen my relationship with God by faithfully attending church services, reading my Bible daily, and praying often. For a time, I even lived communally with other committed Christians, joining in daily prayer meetings and Bible studies, as well as frequent trips into the street to share the gospel.

Most of the time, though, I felt like an invisible barrier was blocking me from having greater intimacy with God, and from feeling as useful to Him and others as I wanted to be. It was deeply frustrating, and the months and years seemed to slip by with little or no progress.

It wasn’t until I experienced more of God’s love for me—and allowed Him to replace the lies I was believing about myself with His Truth—that things began to change. Not overnight, of course. But gradually I began to move forward. I took on more responsibilities in my home church and was even ordained as an elder.

What I didn’t realize at the time, though, was that God had an even more specific and personal calling on my life—one that fit me to a T. I didn’t know exactly where He was leading me, and I had to be willing to take “baby steps” along the way, but where I ended up exceeded my wildest expectations. Not only because of the positive impact this calling had on my life, but because of the impact it had on thousands of other lives, too.

That’s what inspired me to create the Living on Purpose e-course—the deep conviction that what God had done in my life was something He could do in every Christian’s life. As I’m sure you agree, the life of every person in your church matters. Each of them was designed by God to make a unique and needed contribution to God’s purposes in the world. And by discovering and pursuing His unique plan for them, they can experience the same deep sense of meaning and fulfillment I have experienced in mine. That’s the purpose—and proven outcome —of the Living on Purpose resource.