During my growing up years, my family attended church several times a week. By the time I was a teenager, I knew lots of Bible stories from Sunday school, but I could not have told you where any of those stories were actually found in the Bible.
That all changed when I was 17.
I started reading the Bible for the first time by myself. And it changed me. Completely.
Something strange and inexplicable started happening. I couldn’t stop reading the Bible. I took my Bible with me everywhere—even to school. I was consumed with God’s Word as I marveled at the way all those individual Bible stories were woven into a larger Story.
Then something even more marvelous started happening. Whenever I read the Bible, certain verses would stand out, and I would find myself reading the same passage over and over. It was as if God was speaking directly to me through His Word! At the age of 17, I didn’t know such a thing was even possible.
The words on the thin pages weren’t like any other words from any other book I had ever read. It was as if they were alive—speaking to a specific situation in my life.
“The Word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12a).
Of course, as I grew I came to realize that my experience wasn’t unique to me. God speaks to others through His Word too! In my youthful exuberance, I wanted to share this Truth with everyone I knew.
Then my teen years turned into my twenties.
Earlier this week, I wrote about a particularly difficult season that I now refer to as the dark decade. Whenever I look back on this time in my life, I know that I could never have made it through without God’s Word as my companion. His Word speaks life and truth and hope.
When I first starting blogging three years ago, I combined my two deepest passions: writing and studying God’s Word.
For each blog post, I took a single verse from the Bible and wrote about an experience when that verse spoke life and truth to me. I called each post a Verse Vignette because just one verse made such a huge difference in a particular situation.
So when I heard about the organization called One Verse, I was immediately drawn to learn more about it. One Verse is committed to translating the Bible for people around the world who do not have God’s Word in their native tongue.
Three hundred forty million people don’t have the Bible in their own language! I’m not okay with that. The mission behind One Verse is a mission I am passionate about. And I want to invite you to investigate this mission too. Pray about whether this is something you feel called to support.
I love blogging for many reasons. I love this online space where I can practice the craft of writing and connect with other like-minded bloggers. But my favorite reason for blogging is the very first reason why I started blogging in the first place: To share God’s Word and the many ways He has redeemed my life.
What is your favorite reason for blogging?
Click here to learn more about One Verse.
Denise J. Hughes 
Thank you for posting this! I could tell story after story of peoples lives who were transformed by the power of the Word in their own language! When we lived in Tharaka, I will never forget sitting with a group of women, under a mango tree, who had gone through a literacy class in their mother tongue and were reading the New Testament in their own language for the first time. At one point many of them started laughing while reading the passage about Jesus visiting Mary and Martha… I was worried that something was not clear. When I asked them what was so funny they smiled and said, “We are laughing because we are so happy… we can understand this story clearly for the first time! You see, Jesus really cares for us, and it makes us laugh for joy, because… He speaks our language!”
Monica, it’s such a joy to hear from you. And the next time you are in the U.S., I would definitely LOVE to hear some of those stories!
You and your family continue to be in our prayers as you faithfully serve and follow His leading.
I love this. I want to want to read my Bible more but just can’t seem to. I love the Word–but more when it becomes alive to me. God will send this little “nudge” that tells me to pull out my Bible and there it is, a word just for me. I want to want to read it ALL the time!
Jessica, you are not alone. I have certainly gone through seasons where I wanted to want to read the Bible, yet I struggled to get into the Word on any consistent basis. The verse that always brings me encouragement is in Isaiah 55. He says the Word will not return void. I love that because it means that any time we spend in His Word is not in vain. His Word will accomplish His desires.
Thank you for sharing from a place of honesty. I think we can all relate! 🙂
Oh, I just love this! You are in your sweet spot: using your gift to seek and serve God and reach others! Isn’t it grace that he sees us through the hard times until we settle into that rhythm of grace and become (more) peaceful with who he’s making us to be?
My daughter journals one verse (she’s 17) and has since she was in middle school. She amazes me. I am so encouraged by this post. I have a verse in 1 Corinthians that I was going to do some writing about because it underlines and frames why I blog, why I write…. I shall soon.
Settling “into that rhythm of grace” and becoming more who He is making up to be. ~ Oh, Alyssa, I love the way you put that. And I look forward to your post on that verse in 1 Corinthians!