The verses, story, and vision behind shareyourstorynow (sysn.org)
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Scott writes:
About a year ago, God directed me to Isaiah 55:10-11. The passage promises that God’s Word will accomplish what He desires according to the purpose for which He sent it. As I meditated on this passage, I began to more deeply understand how Scripture feeds my mind and gives me the seed I need in order to sow into others. I also became intensely curious about the stories that must be out there and began to dream out loud about how the American Bible Society could share those pragmatic and lesser heard Bible impact stories. Thanks to a volunteer team of ABS employees and several trips to 7-11 for Slurpees, the vision became a reality and www.shareyourstorynow.org was birthed.
This blog is all about God and what he is doing through the Bible. Every comment and post is God’s personal reminder that:
- His Word is living, active, and relevant to what is going on in the world today [Heb 4:12];
- He is in control and working everything (even when not immediately evident) together for good [Romans 8:28]; and
- He uses ordinary people (like you and me) to mutually encourage our faith, accomplish His purposes, and refresh the hearts of saints [Romans 1:12], [Jeremiah 29:11], [Philemon 1:4-7].
Thus far, we’ve had over 500 people share their story or make a comment. Although every story is not posted, we do read through everything submitted. Story themes have included but have not been limited to:
- a life verse from the Bible;
- a current trial or tragedy and how God is using the Bible to minister and heal them in their time of need;
- how a passage recently influenced a big or small decision in their life; and/or
- how engaging a verse or the Bible caused an epiphany or miracle to occur.
It is my prayer that these stories will also serve to encourage, inspire, and connect you and others to this growing community of Bible Advocates. Our team is committed to capturing the pragmatic (note they don’t have to be dramatic) stories that would otherwise be lost this side of heaven. Your stories don’t have to be perfect, just your own. Who knows, your story may be just the thing that God uses to inspire and help others. You’ll be amazed at what God can do if you are willing to take time to share what you are learning about the Bible!
This site is dedicated to Jesus Christ (who is worthy of so much more) and to you our readers–without you the site wouldn’t exist. You’re proof that a book written more than 2,000 years ago can still transform lives in today’s culture.
To God be the glory for the great things he has done (and is still doing)! And special thanks to DJ, Natasha, Jennifer, John Mark, Vickie, Scott E., Brent, and Andrew for using your uniquely God-given gifts (especially in spite of all the other things on your plate).
By His Grace,
P.S. Stay tuned for our new video phase coming in the next few weeks. We’d also love to hear your comments and/or ideas about how we can make your experience more fun and useful.