shareyourstorynow.org

The Power of Praying With My Husband

I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

[Jeremiah 10:23 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

Recently my husband and I were looking through some old journals that we each had when we were courting, and we started to tell each other what we were feeling at those exact moments and how badly we wanted to get married.

It felt like our wedding day would never come! Now looking back it makes both of us laugh, but at that time it was extremely frustrating.

I remember how much we prayed over our marriage and all the steps we had to take soon after (moving, buying a home, etc). It was probably the craziest time we have ever been through, but some how it all went smoothly and without a hitch.

The one thing we both agreed on that helped tremendously was prayer and diving head first into His Word. We sought His face and His will through it all.

We didn’t want to take a step without knowing that He wanted us to.

Now two years later we still make time every day, even if it is just 10 minutes here and there, to pray and read the Bible together. If he travels, or if I travel, we call each other and pray together.

Even with the bumps on the road, we know that God will guide us down that road and then some.

Story posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, Your Stories, Prayer. | 2 Comments »

Finding My Identity, Growing In Self-Esteem

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

[Psalm 139:13-14 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

The other night I caught myself cleaning the house, and during one of my many breaks, a song by Ginny Owens came on called “True Story.” It’s one of my favorites, but I hardly ever really listened to the lyrics.

The chorus melted my heart. I must admit, it made me say “Oh wow.”

You see my imperfections
Still You say I’m a masterpiece
A marvelous reflection
The image of Yourself in me
You paint with strokes of grace
Undoing my disguise
You say beauty lies in the true story

She nailed it right on! God sees all my imperfections: my stubborn mind, my doubting heart, my constant learning soul. Through it all, He sees His reflection.

He takes every label that I have placed on myself and slowly but surely He peels them apart till they are no more.

As a young child I dealt with self-esteem issues. Daughter of parents who were immigrants, I didn’t speak fluent English until the age of 11, my hair was a frizz ball and my clothes were often hand-me-downs.

In my parents attempt to have me in the best schools possible, I was always in schools where little girls had the latest brand-name clothing, had perfect smooth hair and could speak more than English, but also French.

As I grew older and was finally able to tame my wild hair, learn English to the point it became my first language and had a part time job where I was able to buy some clothes for school … I learned that I was never the daughter of immigrants, but the daughter of a mighty King.

It took me a bit to accept that. Geesh, I still deal with it today! It’s something that on a daily basis I have to remind myself of … that I have a God who loves every curl on my head, and then some. Amazing isn’t it?

Story posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, God's Love, Praise, Your Stories, Struggles. | 5 Comments »

We're Celebrating Jesus This Easter

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

[Acts 10: 39-41 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

For the past week or so I’ve been studying Acts 10: 39-41. Given that Easter is this Sunday, I seem to realize more and more how incredible of a sacrifice our Lord and Savior made for all of us … even someone like me.

As I grow older I notice how much every holiday, including Easter, often gets thrown into the masses with chocolates, candy, egg hunts, wicker baskets and, oddly enough, a rabbit.

All of them have their significance, but for me and for my family, we take this time to recognize that Jesus in all His glory was able to rise from the dead on the third day. Not something you see every day!

These verses (Acts 10: 39-41) really get to my core, mainly because they note how not all of the people of Jerusalem saw Jesus rise up, but only those who believed and “ate and drank with him.” It made me ask the following questions to myself: “How often do you eat and drink with your Lord?” “Do you take in your daily bread?” “Are you seeing Him resurrect in your life today?”

Everything within me rejoices that I have a Lord who is still alive today and is willing and able to resurrect broken homes, relationships, financial burdens and even more than I can imagine.

Story posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Verses, Grace. | 2 Comments »

I Must Praise God

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

[Psalm 34:1-3 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

Ever have one of those days when nothing is going right? When just by getting out of bed you wish you could crawl right back in?

Today was one of those mornings when it took everything within me to get out of bed. In my head the stream of excuses started to flow: “I didn’t get enough sleep”; “Just 5 more minutes”; “It can’t be 6:30 already!”

I finally opened my eyes and just started to pray, thanking the Lord for such an amazing day. I continued to praise Him through my shower and while eating breakfast. I put my iPod on and heard some worship songs on my train ride in.

On the train, people were pushing every which way, and then the train was delayed. Several people kept grunting, and by the time we got to my stop, I was pushed out of the train before I could walk out. By the time I got to work, I was trying my best to forget the ride in.

I sat at my desk and read my morning devotional. I was not only wide awake by now, but knew God had a word for me.

As I read Psalm 34, I had to remember that in all things I must praise God. Of course a bad commute into work isn’t the end of the world, but at times these little instances can end up ruining my day.

Keeping my eyes set on Him tends to be my biggest challenge, because when I see the slew of emails come in and the phone calls, the requests, the deadlines, the reports that are due … it can become challenging at times. But I know within myself that the God who allowed me to wake up this morning will give me wisdom to carry out my day.

Story posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Verses, Struggles. | 3 Comments »

Why Did Things Go Wrong?

Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

[Isaiah 30: 20-21 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

A recent conversation with an old friend reminded me of several years back when I was living in Nashville, TN, with my roommate Heather and all the struggles we endured.

It was a time in my life when I had moved to this city to pursue a job offer that was given to me, but as time passed I found myself drowning so heavily in debt that I thought I’d never get out of it.

I was constantly depressed and often wondered why God had placed me in such a horrible position. I knew that I was sent to Nashville for a purpose, and knew I heard Him tell me that I had to be there, but then why did everything go so wrong?

Heather and I would often go to church and had many friends who encouraged us and often helped us out financially in order to buy groceries and pay the rent, but I still questioned Him. Why am I here? Why are you doing this?

Also during my time in Nashville, I was raped. This was the final straw for me. I felt like I had been completely forsaken and that God had forgotten all about me. Surely He had if he allowed this to happen.

There were days when I didn’t even get out of bed because I didn’t feel there was a need to. I wouldn’t eat or talk to anyone.

No one knew what I had gone through for quite some time until Heather and I started talking about prayer. That evening I broke down. I told her everything that had happened. Heather and I cried for hours about it and I had never felt more loved and more broken than at that moment.

Through a mutual friend of ours I was able to report the rape to the local police and also go to a Christian counselor, who reminded me that I was precious and loved. After that experience, I moved back home with my family in Florida and was able to find rest and refuge in my parents’ home.

Since then I have not forgotten what happened on that day. But as the years have passed, I have been able to forgive the man who did this to me and grow stronger in my relationship with Christ, my Father.

God blessed me with a husband who loves me and accepts me for who I am, not for what I have been through. I’m no longer in debt, and I have learned to trust God more in my walk with Him, no matter what happens.

Story posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Hope, Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Struggles, Verses, Most Popular Stories. | 3 Comments »

Christmas Joy: The Birth of Life

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

[Isaiah 7:14 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

I can still remember the day that my niece was born as if it were yesterday. The morning of September 7th we all marched over to the hospital to meet up with my sister-in-law, my brother and my very anxious 3-year-old nephew, who could not stop boasting that soon he would be a big brother.

The entire nursery was buzzing with whispers, laughter and pacing from our family. The grandparents waited near the window to catch a glimpse of the new addition to our family. After an hour of waiting, there she was in all her glory. This precious, crying, bundle of joy.

All of us felt we couldn’t love something so small so much. It was a burst of energy that exploded in the room. The cameras zoomed and snapped the best possible picture of this new baby girl.

My brother could not believe his eyes and my nephew was jumping up and down trying to see who he was a big brother to. When she was finally brought to the room where my sister-in-law was, my nephew (along with the rest of the family) had completely fallen in love.

That moment often made me think of the birth of Jesus and the moments leading up to it. The thoughts both Mary and Joseph had … their family members, their friends and their neighbors. It was
different.

I can imagine the remarks, “A virgin giving birth?” “How is this possible?” “Surely she is lying!” Within Mary’s heart, the purest of joy and love for her baby and yet having to flee in order to save the life of her unborn child. Joseph carrying on this responsibility of becoming a father to a son he did not help conceive, the Son of the Most Holy.

I can almost imagine that the moment Mary gave birth though, that burst of excitement and joy flooded the manger. In that most intimate moment, the Holy Lamb had been born to save humanity. WOW! Just writing it brings tears to my eyes.

This holiday season is filled with thoughts of finding that perfect present for loved ones, how many stockings we have to fill, Christmas cards we have to send and the list can truly go on and on. Trust me; it’s on my mind too!

I want to challenge you though to take a moment during this season to really think about the “reason for the season.” A small bundle of joy came in all innocence to die for our sins and live selflessly so that we may have eternal life. It’s amazing isn’t it?

Hope you and your loved ones have a Christmas to remember!

Story posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, Praise, Your Stories, Verses. | 3 Comments »

Impacting Lives By Reading Bible

[God speaking] “I will bless you with a future filled with hope — a future of success, not of suffering.”

[Jeremiah 29:11 CEV]

Abby writes:

Today I’m sitting in Panera Bread (little eatery) doing some work and trying to get adjusted to my new role at Share Your Story Now. I have recently joined the team (see my bio) and thus far I’m loving every minute of it. Great team, amazing projects and the opportunity to touch the lives of thousands through God’s eternal Word … what more could I ask for?

Earlier this morning as I was connecting to my email and downloading several documents that I had to finish I noticed an elderly woman sitting a table in front of me. I had seen her here before, but never really noticed her. She is not much different from women I had seen before … silver hair, black jacket, frail hands and a wrinkled smile.

With her she carried several items, including two Bibles, a small pink photo album and a picture frame. She settled herself in her chair and put down her cup of coffee, purse and her Bibles, placing the picture frame directly on top of one of the Bibles and the photo album on the other. I noticed her eyes turned watery and she bowed her head on top of her Bible and frame.

She prayed fervently. She prayed with urgency. She prayed as if her life depended on it … or rather, someone else’s life depended on it.

A young man who works here walked up to her and asked, “Ma’am how are we doing today?” She looked up and just said, “The Lord is good, and today is great.” The young man was baffled, but not annoyed by her remark. He then asked, “What is your favorite book in the Bible?” She stated, “Jeremiah, I like Jeremiah 29:11.”

He went on to ask her about it and said that he hadn’t read his Bible in years. She smiled at him and said, “His Word is eternal and He can do all things, you should try it again some time.”

He asked her about the frame and photo album and she simply replied, “My family is much like you, and doesn’t believe in God much, but I know that through His Word and prayer they will come around.” With that the young man dismissed himself and went back to work. The elderly woman continued to pray. Once she finished she got up and left.

I’m reminded every day that just by reading God’s Word we can impact the lives of those around us. People see what we do and will wonder why, isn’t that the perfect time to share what God has done through us?

Story posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 and is filed under Bible, Team Corner, Your Stories, Prayer, Evangelization, Life Verse. | 3 Comments »

Walking Through Fire With God

[God speaking] “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

[Isaiah 43:2 NIV]

Andy (our community host and newsletter editor) writes:

As many of you no doubt remember, last month in San Diego (where I live) wildfires consumed thousands of acres … and homes. It was scary. For several days, nobody could predict which direction the fires were going to move in or when they would be contained.

In the midst of this, I received a playful email message from my good friend Johanna, who lives in Chicago. Johanna, who regularly sends me Bible passages via email to encourage me, was delighted (I could tell) that she had found the perfect verse for the wildfire situation.

What verse did she send me? Isaiah 43:2, which reads, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

You may be chuckling. I know I was … and I know Johanna was. But she was also sincere. So I sat with that verse for a bit (as I’m doing now actually), and I deeply sensed God’s loving, protecting presence.

What I sensed God saying to me was, “I’ve got you. No matter what, you’re safe.” God’s words to me had nothing to do with the wildfires (because I was well out of harm’s way); God was reassuring me about every situation and aspect in my life, past, present and future. “I’ve got you; you’re safe.”

So thanks, Johanna, for the chuckle and for the doorway into a wonderful experience of God’s presence. That’s what friends are for, right?

To comment, use the comment box below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Story posted on Wednesday, November 21st, 2007 and is filed under Team Corner, ABS Stories, God's Sovereignty. | 3 Comments »

Using Scripture to Soak in God’s Tenderness

[Jesus speaking] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

[Matthew 28:11 NIV]

Andy writes:

Are you tired? Hurting? Lonely? Scared? Confused? Are you open to allowing God’s tenderness to nurture you, heal you and give you rest?

Over the past few years I’ve discovered that the more I allow myself to soak in God’s tenderness, the more healing and transformation I experience. I’ve also discovered that Scripture helps me soak in God’s tenderness.

Are you open to taking one minute right now to soak in God’s healing tenderness? Join me in this very simple exercise - it’s just three steps.

Continue Reading »

Story posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, ABS Stories, Grace. | No Comments »

Using Scripture to Help Deal with Sadness

As he [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it …

[Luke 19:41 NIV]

Andy Writes:

About five months ago I moved from Chicago to San Diego. Just recently the reality of my situation - being in a new city, trying to get connected - has hit me hard. I'm missing my friends and family back “home”! I'm feeling the loss. I'm feeling the sadness that comes with the loss.

I've learned over the past few years that to be a healthy, growing, loving person, it's important for me to process my sadness (though it's usually not easy!). For me processing sadness typically involves embracing it, letting myself feel it, sharing it with God and appropriate others, and listening to its story. Often, however, I get stuck, and I need help processing my sadness. And sometimes Scripture helps me get unstuck!

Continue Reading »

Story posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 and is filed under Sadness, Team Corner, Loneliness. | 3 Comments »