Today’s witnesses are from Matthew West’s website called popwe.org. If you don’t know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today I chose four testimonies from the Salvation Category. I love to hear about how people found Jesus and what their journey was like. Oftentimes, we can hear our own story in someone else’s story. When we hear others tell their story it helps us to see we are not alone. We are not the only ones who have struggled with God, faith, and religion. We aren’t the only ones who have been mad at God, frustrated with life, and so on. I pray when you hear these testimonies, you can see not only how God has helped them in their life but how He is helping you in yours and in your loved ones’ lives, too. We have all seen God working in our lives. However, we might not all be aware it is God working in our lives. This is why it is so important we start talking about it more. The more we share our experiences, the more people understand how God works and how much He truly loves us. If you would be willing to share any experience of how God has worked or is working in your life, please email me at catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com or click here. It won’t take up much of your time, and your story could be just the story that someone needs to hear today. Prayerfully consider sharing. Everyone has a story, and the world needs to hear them. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today’s witnesses are from Matthew West’s website called popwe.org. If you don’t know who Matthew West is, he is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller. This website is for the non-profit that he has with his father, a pastor. Matthew and his father encourage people to share their stories. They have various categories of stories. Today I chose four testimonies from the Salvation Category. I love to hear about how people found Jesus and what their journey was like. Oftentimes, we can hear our own story in someone else’s story. When we hear others tell their story it helps us to see we are not alone. We are not the only ones who have struggled with God, faith, and religion. We aren’t the only ones who have been mad at God, frustrated with life, and so on. I pray when you hear these testimonies, you can see not only how God has helped them in their life but how He is helping you in yours and in your loved ones’ lives, too.
Bob: My story is so trivial compared to those you share at concerts and on TV, but I wanted to share. In 2014, after 35 years of marriage, 2 grown boys, and several grandgirls, I faced an unexpected divorce. During those days, I relied on a long-distance friend I knew from my job who would listen to my daily drama and provide feedback. At one point, she asked if I listened to Christian Music radio. I told her I did a little around Christmas, but otherwise, I did not. She recommended your friends at K-LOVE for support and a lift. I’ve been obsessed with CCM and K-LOVE ever since.
Since then I’ve joined a new church, which included a new member class and presentation of my faith journey. I was preparing a small visual aid to use with my journey, and I turned on the TBN app, and the first icon was YOUR Ryman concert. The title of my presentation appropriately became “My Story-Your Glory”. WOW, what an experience to share my life with others I barely knew.
After attending your awesome concert in Grove City (Columbus), OH, in October, I had a southern trip on my calendar. When I saw you were going to be in Ashland, KY, I contacted that long-distance friend who helped me years ago, who lived nearby, and asked if she would attend the Paramount Theater with me. On November 2, together, we sang and prayed and had a great time with you and Micah! The prayers you and your father presented were perfect and your interaction with the crowd was amazing. Definitely different crowds in Columbus and Ashland!!!! Thank you for sharing your music. Blessings to you and your beautiful family.
Melissa, My testimony is that I finally believed God’s truth enough to receive the miracle I have been hoping for my entire life (and I’m already 42) : “To know God’s truth without a doubt and to clearly see the face of God in ALL things.” This happened while listening to the CD “My Story Your Glory” shortly after buying it at the Crystal Lake, IL concert. I was listening to “Miracle” in my car and realized for the first time God’s perfect goodness despite my traumatic sufferings (and that God makes all things good, and in turn, I was good enough to be HIS) and this knowledge was completely transformational, something that spoke of the “kind of healing that comes swiftly” and it drenched my soul with joy in Him. It was as if suddenly I knew God’s every word to be true and that I could clearly express it in writing. I felt compelled in a way I never could have guessed to forever display this holy love to others as best I could.
Awestruck, I wrote the following poem:
If only you knew the beauty I see, not just in you, but in everything, you’d come sit awhile and ask what it meant and I’d happily tell you it was heaven sent. Now, I’m just a girl, no one would guess, deserved such a treat to be so thoroughly blessed. And I’d tell you it’s true, cause I was way worse than you, just a wandering wanderer, not sure what to do. And here is the answer, the thing that you seek, to step into God’s power, you’ve gotta be weak. And so thoroughly so, you’ve got nowhere to go, but to sit in your mess, and just endlessly weep. You may not believe it, but trust me it’s right, that looking and looking, will never give sight. But there is sight for the blind, BUT God’s gotta speak. And as soon as you listen, you’ll find all that you need.
Thank you, Matthew West. Your music was the missing piece that gave me the wisdom I needed to finally put all the missing pieces together. I had been struggling to do so forever. I know others are sure to experience this beautiful shift from your wonderful songs as well. May all glory be to God, the author of all good things, and to the wondrous keeper of my heart, Christ Jesus our Lord!
Sammie: Ever since God entered my life, there has been healing, love, joy, celebration, restoration, peace, & His presence. The more that I’ve let Him into my life, the more of God I’ve gotten to see, know, experience, & share all of these things! This means through elementary school, middle school, high school, & now into college. When I asked God to come into my family, problems, sickness, friendships, relationships, and my heart, I got to see God save, heal, restore, & give. A lot of the time, it was so hard, but with or without God, life is hard.
I can say from experience though, with God, life is abundant, abundant with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, hope, and freedom. Without God, life is full of heartbreak, sin, emptiness, hopelessness, doubt, worry, anxiety, fear, lust, & it doesn’t get better. The enemy keeps stealing, killing, & destroying. Jesus came to earth, brought life abundantly & won a victory over the enemy and death & is offering right now and always to do the same in your life! The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy, and that means what He did for another, He can do it again!! He loved you, loves you, & will always love you for eternity! In Jesus’s name, Amen!
Bella: My name is Bella, and I’m 15 years old. I went to church when I was younger, but I questioned God. And I was like, ‘If other religions have a book like the Bible, how do I know Christianity is real?’ At Vacation Bible School (VBS) one year, I prayed to Jesus with a group leader for Him to save me and be my Savior, and she told me when somebody gets saved, all the angels start singing hallelujah. I went on living my life, and then I got baptized in the Methodist church, but not really for the right reasons. So I went on with living.
When I was in seventh grade, I started to have friend problems. During eighth grade the girls I thought were my friends had practically ditched me, all except for one who caught onto that friend group not really welcoming us anymore. That one girl became my only friend. The church I was going to on Wednesday nights got a new youth pastor named Emmett and I started going to church. There were some days when I didn’t want to go to church because I felt like I didn’t have any friends there, but I kept going. I downloaded the YouVersion Bible App on my phone for when we would read Scripture. I started looking on the app one night and saw all the devotionals and verse of the day things and I wanted to start doing that stuff, especially since it was Christmas time and I wanted to do Christmas plans.
Jesus found me and gradually had me cultivate a relationship with Him. I started to do devotionals, pray, and do the verse of the day. I started to live for Jesus. That summer, my youth group went to a church camp called Fuge. It was one of the greatest things ever because I started following Jesus, and I didn’t worry about friends because I can’t make them accept me. But Jesus calls me His child. Lord Jesus actually gave me friends on that trip and I now have a friendship with a girl in the grade below me. I rededicated my life to Jesus that summer. Then I started having sin problems, and I finally had to open up to my dad and just tell someone what I was struggling with. Things got better, so don’t keep things to yourself.
Later that summer, I felt like I needed to be baptized, and I asked God for a sign if I needed to be, and He gave me one. I ignored it and put it off for a while, but one day I had finally decided I wanted to be baptized. I didn’t want to have to go up to the front of the church, so my dad got me to talk to the Senior Pastor about getting baptized, and he wanted me to come up to the front of the church during the invitation when I was ready. And, finally, I was going to do it. I prayed to God for His Holy Spirit to be with me and help me to do it. Because of God, I was able to go up to the front of the church with my dad and tell the church I wanted to be baptized. It was one of the best feelings ever. I got to be baptized by my youth pastor on November 6, 2022. I got baptized for real that time- I got dunked and came up clean.
I hit a dark patch that Christmas with barely being able to believe God because my mind just denied so much, but I kept praying, and God eventually pulled me out of that season. Prayer became my lifeline, and God would answer my prayers. I thought I was all alone in what happened to me that Christmas, but earlier this year, I got a book called “Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen, and she went through something very similar. We aren’t alone in our struggles.
Now, in 2023, I’m trying to live for Jesus each and every day, and I’m struggling sometimes with how to do that. But God has pulled me out of the unthinkable, and God has never left me. God really loves you. No matter what, Jesus loves you! Just keep praying. God is faithful; just trust Him. I went to a Matthew West concert (it was awesome!) and got to pray again for Jesus to come into my heart. I got to hear the song “Me On Your Mind” performed live, and that is one song that I can connect with and just sing. I learned from that concert that God loves to hear the sound of our voice no matter how long it’s been and that we just need to trust and believe in Jesus.
I’m proud to say I believe in Jesus, and I trust Him wherever He’s taking me. Let God define you, not your sin.
Thank you all so much for being vulnerable and sharing your stories. I pray you continue to walk with the Lord and that each day you grow closer and closer to Him. I pray you know how much He loves you and how proud He is of you. Thank you again for sharing!