An Origin Story

GodWords Newsletter #16

Aug 10, 2023

Now that I have a handful of Newsletters under my belt, I’ll take a moment to explain why the Newsletter exists. Stick with me here… it’ll be a bit longer than usual.

Not counting that one time in 1986, I first went online in 1997. There wasn’t much to do on the web back then, so the Yahoo Message Boards became home base… specifically the Christianity section. Big surprise, huh?

I developed a reputation… some good, some not as much. Being young, I was fairly combative. I was also known for doing my homework and making complex things simple, so people started asking me questions.

After hearing the same questions over and over, making the info available on a website seemed wise. Free hosting was good for a while… you know, with ads at the top of each page. My own website sounded better, but $10 a month for hosting sounded pricey. Everything changed when someone slapped me in the face with this great advice:

“If ten bucks is too much to invest, you’re not serious about ministry.”

That stung, but he was right. So I found ten bucks and created GodWords. Now I could publish answers to the questions I was getting. Being good at making websites (what I do today for a living), a lot of people found me… and asked more and more questions. Today, articles are read there thousands of times each day.

GodWords is the place where I answer the questions that strangers ask. With each new article, a new discussion begins… but far more email me personally. Many of you reading this have corresponded with me for years! Some simply want to discuss or disagree about some point of theology, but others are desperate for help.

Here are some of the questions:

I’ve been running from God for a long time. How do I come back?
I was baptized as a child, but never became a Christian. Now that I’m saved, should I be rebaptized?
Is [ insert name here ___ ] a false teacher?
Am I going to Hell because I’m a lesbian?
I’m struggling with sin. Can you help me?

I don’t write because I love to write. I write because people are searching for answers. If you find GodWords or the Newsletter to be helpful, please leave a comment and forward this to a friend. You might even consider supporting the ministry by becoming a paid subscriber. The gospel is free, so I won’t hide content behind a paywall… but I’d like to be able to commit more of each day to serving strangers who ask questions. Your participation makes that happen!

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here.

❤️

🔖 Useful Stuff

Flyin by the Seat of Our Pants
Christian music legend Bryan Duncan (18 solo albums, 16 #1 hits) has a podcast called Nutshell Sermons. They’re short, pithy, and fun. In this episode, Bryan describes the time Sweet Comfort Band almost died in a plane crash (and why he kissed Rick Thomson).
Old Testament Prooftexts We Know and Love
Most people have never learned to handle Scripture well. A handful of simple principles can help. Learn a bit about prooftexts here so you can help others trust God more completely.
Walking with God in the Desert
Over the years I’ve enjoyed how Ray Vander Laan’s teaching brings both Scripture and the Promised Land to life. Highly recommended!

📰 Who has Dominion over the Earth?

There’s a lot of talk about dominion these days, and most of it comes from a bunch of false teachers. It’s an important subject, considering the depth of false teaching out there.

Read it →