• What’s Your Story?

  By: ____________________________ (your name as you want it to appear online)

  How to Use These Questions

  Your story doesn’t have to be long or complicated to make an impact. I recommend 1-5 pages or so. These questions are here to guide you as you reflect on your journey with Jesus. You don’t have to answer every single one, but each will help you remember what God has done in your life and how your testimony can encourage others. Think of your answers as both a personal reflection and powerful evidence—proof of God’s goodness that silences the enemy’s lies and strengthens the faith of those who hear it.

  Questions to Help You Share Your Testimony

  1. What was your life like before you met Jesus?
  2. How did you first hear about Him, and what led you to put your trust in Him?
  3. Describe your salvation moment—what happened when you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior?
  4. Have you been baptized? If so, what did that experience mean to you?
  5. In what ways has your life changed since giving your life to Christ?
  6. Have you ever walked away from your faith for a season? If so, what drew you back?
  7. How has God shown His faithfulness in your life (rescue, provision, healing, guidance, etc.)?
  8. What lies from the enemy has your story proven wrong about God?
  9. What one message of hope or truth would you want others to take from your story?
  10. How do you feel knowing your testimony can encourage others and stand as evidence of God’s goodness?

   

  Closing Encouragement

  Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have more than just a story—you’ll have written evidence of God’s love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy in your own life. Your testimony is not only a gift to others, but also a powerful reminder for yourself.

  The enemy, Satan, is called “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10), and he will try to convince you that you are not worthy, that you are not really forgiven, or that God has abandoned you. But when you hold your testimony close, you can confront those lies with the truth of what God has already done for you. You can remind yourself: I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I belong to Jesus. Nothing can separate me from His love.

  The Apostle Paul declares this unshakable promise in Romans 8:28–39 (ESV):

  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

  When you write down your testimony and share it, you’re not only planting seeds of faith in others—you’re also strengthening your own foundation. You are declaring truth that will steady you in moments of doubt and remind you that you are held secure in Christ.

  So take the step. Write it down. Speak it out. Share it with others. Let your testimony be both a sword against the enemy’s accusations and a light of hope for someone searching for Jesus.

• Submit your story at [email protected] (put “What’s Your Story” in the subject line).  I look forward to helping you get your story told. Make sure to let me know how you want your name to appear: First and Last name, First name and last initial, first name only. And remember, by submitting your story for publication, you are consenting to publication on this website and any other format I may choose to publish at any time. If you have limitations to how it's published, let me know in the email you send. Thank you for your participation and I pray that many are blessed by your testimonies.

•  

  What’s Your Story?

  By: Lisa Szimhardt

  My life was very hard growing up. I experienced many traumas that left me feeling worthless and insecure. I was constantly told I would never amount to anything and that no one would ever care about me. My childhood was full of upheavals — I moved between many schools, at least one per year, and eventually dropped out in the 11th grade.

  Despite these struggles, I had early exposure to church. My family attended regularly, and my paternal grandfather was a minister, so I knew about God. When I was about 14, something clicked — and I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I felt a sense of belonging and peace I had never known and was baptized soon after. For the first time, I felt relevant, special, and seen in God’s eyes. I would bring my Bible to school, pray regularly, and talk with classmates about faith.

  At 15, my church sponsored me to attend a Bible study camp. I spent two weeks learning to teach children through Bible stories, songs, and crafts. I was paired with a great partner, and together we made the lessons memorable for the kids. That summer was full of joy and purpose. The following summer, I had the opportunity to work with horses in the Rocky Mountains, which was a dream come true. These experiences gave me confidence and a sense of independence.

  Life soon took a difficult turn. My family situation became more unstable, and I had to navigate complex challenges, including moving and adjusting to new environments without consistent support. During this time, I struggled with unhealthy coping mechanisms and lost my focus on school and spiritual growth.

  By my late teens, I was seeking comfort and direction. I became involved in substance abuse and experimented with various spiritual practices, looking for peace and guidance. On my 18th birthday, I made a step towards independence and safety, moving in with someone I trusted. I felt protected and cared for, which helped me navigate my next chapters. We later married and had children, though I continued to face challenges that tested my faith and perseverance.

  In 2000, after a series of difficult experiences, including domestic violence. I faced a turning point when I said enough is enough, and that led me to sobriety and a renewed focus on God. I began attending support meetings and embracing the concept of a higher power, which gradually restored stability and hope in my life.

  Years later, I moved back to Arizona, rebuilt my career, and eventually met my current husband, John. We grew closer in friendship and love and eventually married. My daughter encouraged me to return to church, and we began attending a non-denominational congregation where faith felt personal and meaningful. Eventually, I realized that only God could provide the hope and stability I longed for, that God IS the Higher (the Highest) power. I began to make intentional choices toward faith and personal growth. In 2019, my family participated in a baptism together, marking a renewal of our faith and a deep sense of peace and belonging.

  Along the way, God showed me that He never left me, even when I wandered. There were countless moments of guidance, protection, and provision that reminded me He was always present, right on time every time. I began praying daily, studying the Bible, and embracing the grace that God offers to all of us, regardless of our past mistakes or struggles.

  I also experienced the power of community in faith. I met a mentor, Tammy Becker, who encouraged me to share my story and gifts. Through her ministry, I started blogging — fulfilling a lifelong dream — and used my story to inspire others. The blog, called “Everything Under the Son,” celebrates God’s blessings and the opportunity to live purposefully in His plan.

  The lesson I want to share is simple: God never gives up on us. No matter how far we wander, no matter how many mistakes we make, He loves us. All He asks is that we return, repent, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Healing is possible, and life can be restored. Our pain can be used to bless others, to sow seeds of hope, and to bring light into the world.

  God’s timing is perfect. He provides just enough at just the right moment, and He surrounds us with support and love when we need it most. I am living proof of this truth, and I hope my story encourages others to trust Him, persevere, and experience the profound freedom and peace that comes from returning to God.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

By: John S.

My life before accepting Jesus was like most ordinary kids. I went to church with my family but didn’t understand all of what they were talking about.

My story continues at the age of about seven years old. At the time my family went to a Catholic Church, and that was the first time I’d gone deep into learning about Jesus, the Bible, and religious teachings. It also was the time I learned about the “Body and Blood of Christ.” It was then when I learned more about Jesus and all He went through, and I also accepted Jesus into my life. At that time I had what the Catholic religion calls “Holy Communion.” That’s when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. My friend’s mom invited me to their Baptist Church for a thing called Vacation Bible School when I was about ten years old. I learned more there and started going to their weekly youth groups they had. I met a few good people there who mentored me.

All was good until my senior year in high school. My mother had collapsed at a parent-teacher conference and was rushed to the hospital. After about five days my father told me that she had suffered a major aneurysm in her brain. This was the first and last time I saw her when she had her aneurysm. She was in bad shape. She didn’t recognize me and wasn’t making sense as she spoke. I got to see her for only one hour before they moved her to a more advanced hospital. She was there for two weeks before she passed away from extreme swelling of her brain. I was devastated.

I was so mad and kept asking God, “Why her? She was so active and healthy?” I became a prodigal for about seven years because I was so mad. That’s when I had another life-shattering event happen. I was in the Army National Guard, and my unit was activated to deploy to Saudi Arabia after Iraq invaded Kuwait. On our trip over there I prayed to Jesus to take me back and watch over me while I was there. I told Him, “I’m sorry for my anger and leaving You. I also know what I did was wrong and should not have blamed You for what happened to my mom.” Once in Saudi Arabia I started going to church again, and a few guys in my unit started reading the Bible. We started a group of about ten of us, and it grew in size to about seventy people. We met after church in the tent that was used as our mess hall.

It was quite a few years later when I met my soon-to-be wife. We worked together for one year, and she had to leave her job because her job was canceled. We got back in touch a few years later and we got married. Her daughter invited us to a church she was attending, and we started going. We witnessed some people getting baptized, and one weekend she got baptized. My wife and I decided we would get baptized together in the coming months. I recall the Pastor stating that “You had no choice when you were younger as a baby to make the choice to get baptized, but you can now as an adult.” The day was here when we got baptized, and it “renewed” my connection with Jesus. It was a very emotional moment, and I even cried a little. I felt like a new person. We’ve been attending church since.

God has shown His faithfulness to me by keeping me safe, getting me through times of uncertainty, and guiding me to be a better person. Being a Christian centers on believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of humanity, and aligning one's life with His teachings. This involves a commitment to love God and others, seeking forgiveness for sins, and striving to live a life of love, compassion, and integrity.

The key message I’d like to share is you’re never too old to accept Jesus into your life, and the benefits will be greater than you know. I hope this story will help others who don’t have Jesus in their life, that they would look into possibly accepting Him as their Lord and Savior.

My Story

by: Pam Thomas Schug

I grew up in a Christian home, going to church knowing that Jesus loved me. When I was 8 years old, a friend’s mother started a Bible study in her home for a bunch of giggly girls. We read from the Bible about Jesus’s deep love for us and what it looked like to live a life for Christ. That’s when I realized that no matter how “good” I was, I could never be “good enough.” Doing the right things and being a good girl was not enough. I then fully understood that Jesus died for me and His blood covered all my sins. And all I needed in order to be the girl God called me to be, Jesus had already done for me on the cross.

I can still remember sitting in a circle on the floor with tears running off the end of my nose, as I asked Jesus into my life, really understanding for the first time what He had done for me. She had me read Romans 8:38–39, and I knew then (and today) that Jesus is with me and nothing can separate me from His LOVE.

Since I was raised in a Methodist church, I was christened as a baby. When I married my Southern Baptist husband, I was baptized in his church as a part of my new family. My husband loved Jesus too, which was one of the reasons I was attracted to him. We were able to serve Jesus for 37 years until he died of cancer. Jesus walked with me through the regular ups and downs of life, but while I watched my husband leave for heaven ahead of me, Jesus carried me through that dark time. Only with the hope of seeing him again and the strength of the LORD did I move on.

Of course, Satan loves to whisper in my ear, “You’re not good enough.” Thankfully, the LORD’s promise that He is enough and is always with me guides me day to day. After 11 years as a widow, the LORD blessed me with a second “Jesus-loving” husband. He died of cancer just before our second anniversary. That was so very difficult. But once again, the LORD carried me through. As I keep on loving Jesus, I see Him working in my life, loving me deeper, and showing me how to share my story with others who are hurting.

I want everyone to know we can’t be “good enough” or earn our way to heaven through our works. Jesus died for us, and His blood covers all our sins—and He is GOOD ENOUGH! Read His love letter for you, the Bible, to learn how very much He LOVES you! He died for you too! Jesus is all you need. Rest in His arms of LOVE.

MY JOURNEY TO GOD
By: Beverlee Dool 

This is my testimony: 

I grew up in a normal household. I had a mom, dad and two brothers. We did not have much, but we did not want for much either.
My mother grew up knowing God and, in doing so, she wanted us to know God as well. Mom made us go to church with her on Sundays and participate in Sunday School.
This continued until I hit high school. As much as I tried, I could never get close to Him. I wanted to believe but I could not see Him, so therefore, how does He exist?
What I lacked was Faith. A word I did not understand back then, not like I do now. 

Time went on, and life kept happening. I never thought much about it, but I often made decisions based on what if there is a God. I am not saying I never sinned, but I tried to lead a somewhat decent life. Believed in being good to people and loving everyone. As best I could at the time, I suppose. I did have a huge potty mouth and made too many “indecent” jokes, though. I just didn’t know any better at the time. 

I have had moments in my life that I did try to find Him. In 2005, when Pope John Paul II passed away, I had a dream. Now I am not Catholic and do not believe in that religion, but this night it was used for a purpose. They were deciding on who was to be the new pope.
So, I dreamt that one of the cardinals came into my home and started walking towards me. In my dream, my boyfriend (at the time) and I were sleeping. I woke up to this and was trying to wake him up, crying, they elected the new pope. He would not wake up. As the cardinal came toward me, he disappeared, and an apparition of a hand came toward me. A voice was telling me, everything is going to be all right Bev, everything is going to be okay.
At that, I reached out and touched the hand. The feeling that came over me was something I will never forget. It was such a powerful feeling of love. I started weeping in my sleep. My boyfriend, Dennis, at this point heard the crying and woke me, I was sobbing so hard. I wanted to get on my knees then and there, but he held me tight, asking what was wrong. I told him and he believed it was God. 

I wanted to believe that it was Him, but my resolve kept me from trusting fully. It hurts to be too stubborn at times. 

After that, I did try to come to Him numerous times. I had a couple friends that believed in God and would often come over and talk “God” with me. I enjoyed it but I still had a tough time with not “seeing” Him to accept Him. 

I know, it is not about seeing Him, it is about Faith.
Fast forward to 2020, the year my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The Lord used her as His vessel for me. 

My mother was at the hospital by herself when she was first told she had that C word. They did not know much else. It was during Covid, so no one could be with her. I was three provinces away from her anyway. 

My mother said the way the doctors were going on she thought she was going to die that night. She was scared. At one point they left her in the room by herself, and she was lying on the bed. She prayed to God about her situation and said she had such a peace come over her, she never worried about it again. 

I went back to Ontario to be with her. After more tests they determined she was terminal and would have one to two years at best to live. That woman never wavered. She took Chemotherapy and anything else at her, like a champ. Never got down or upset about it. She kept saying repeatedly, If God wants her here, He will keep her here. If not, He will take her to Him. 

I remember one day, not long before her passing, I was lying on her bed with her. I was holding her hand and had my head on her shoulder. I asked her if she was scared. Right away she responded No. She knows where she is going and that is with the Lord.
That made a significant impact on me. 

Months after she was gone, and some of the dust settled, I began my journey. I started going to church with a friend of mine. I wanted to know this person my mother had such love and faith in. I read the book, "Is God Real" by Lee Strobel, and started watching “The Chosen.” It was this book that made my mind explode. Watching “The Chosen” helped me want to get closer to God and wanted to touch Jesus Christ our Savior. Oh, what a feeling!!! 

A year went by after my mother’s death, and we were still dealing with her Estate. I had many things breaking me down. Loved ones worrying and pushing me about how my brother (who was executor) will try to take some of my inheritance. I couldn’t get it into their head that money didn’t matter to me. I just lost my mother.
I was dealing with two very close loved ones with alcoholism and losing my mother. The strain was taking its toll. Many things were happening that’s too long to list here.
Anyways, I was at our cousin’s house while my husband was away at work. One night I got so low I was going to commit suicide. I knew how and where I was doing it, I wanted it so bad. I just wanted to go be with my mom and dad again. Somehow, I resisted.
I used to think the reason was due to not wanting my cousin to wake up to what I was going to do. It wouldn’t have been pretty. I did really think this, but as I look back at it, I knew it was God with me. I wanted to do it so bad, but something kept me from doing it. I literally wanted to rip my face off by trying to keep myself from doing harm. For someone who has never been in this state, it would be hard to imagine how bad you want to die. It’s like something else takes over you; it almost felt demonic. It probably was. 

The next morning, I grabbed my cousin and told her what happened. That was the start of coming back. The more I told people, the better I felt. There’s a sense of relief when talking it out and the Lord wasn’t done with me here. Thank you, Jesus!! 

Once things settled down a little more, I then started working harder to get closer to God. I have come to find Him comforting, helps give me peace about things I’m stressed about and always makes sure we are provided for. Looking back, I see His work on me many times, even before finding my faith in Him. God is so good!! 

My daughter is one of the people I mentioned dealing with alcoholism. Life hasn’t been very kind to her. She has been through so many lows and for many years now. I was always trying to be her protector and keep her positive. It was hard and I was getting to the point; I had a hard time dealing with her. I was still there though. That’s what us parents do.
I finally got to a place with the Lord that I prayed, “Lord, she is Yours now. I surrender her to You as to Your will.” I must say, since letting go, small things have been happening for the good for her. She is trying to come to the Lord as well and a better life is happening. Praise to God!!! 

My other loved one is my husband. He has always believed in God but did not live a very “Christian” life. He was pretty “wild.” He became an alcoholic too. He quit drinking so many times but could never stay off it.
He recently lost his license due to driving under the influence. He was sober for ten months before this and he only got back to it maybe a week. These events humbled him greatly, which pushed him closer to the Lord. He now only wants to listen or watch anything to do with the Gospel. He’s deleted all “inappropriate” content from his phone and prays more. He has become filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes!!!!
We always had a good marriage, but it has become even better with both being closer to the Lord. We don’t worry about money, or how we are living or sweat the small stuff so much. When we do, we pray to Him to give us the strength and peace to deal with it. 

I like to call myself a “baby Christian.” Just trying to learn to follow Him and remain faithful. It is not an easy road. I still stumble, but I know God has my back. I just need to keep the faith. 

Yes, I finally learned the meaning of Faith. Can I get an Amen!