Written by Michelle J. Goff, Iron Rose Sister Ministries Founder and Director
“Do you need story time?” A slow nod would be the only response from many college students who would enter my office near LSU’s campus. As they curled up in the oversized chair across from my desk, I would reach behind their heads praying over which children’s book’s tattered cover I would pull from my bookshelf.
Sometimes, we would read, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst. Other times, we would read tales of Hermie and Wormie, worms who became butterflies in Max Lucado’s children’s books.
The simple stories would reveal and affirm greater truths: Even people in Australia have bad days. We are all a work in progress and God may not be finished transforming us into a beautiful butterfly yet.
Other days, a student would bounce into my office, itching to tell me a God story from their day. Many of my favorite memories are with Christian sisters, sitting in a coffeeshop, swapping God stories and joyfully delighting in the ways we had recognized how wise, active, loving, nice, patient, faithful, gracious… just how GOOD our God is!
Every time, the exchange of God stories drew us closer to God and to each other.
The Bible is one big love story. God is the Author and the main character. He invites us into His story as recipients of that love and co-laborers in the storytelling. We each have an individual part to play in the story, but Our Story in God is that we are part of His bigger story. And the primary plot point to His story is good news!
Iron Rose Sister Ministries’ theme for 2022 is “Our Story in God.” Each individual’s story is woven into the tapestry of God’s greater story. Hebrews 11:40 concludes the chapter of the heroes of faith with, “since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
We all long for connection. We want to feel safe and understood… for someone to identify with us, our lives, our story. We may wonder where our story fits in the bigger picture. Or we may wonder what is going on in our story, grateful that the final chapter has not yet been written.
Stories foster connection and provide an opportunity to relate on a new level. God stories offer an invitation to the hearer to connect to God and to the one telling the story. As a ministry, that is what we are all about—equipping women to connect to God and one another more deeply. In 2022, we will fulfill that vision through stories.
This year, Iron Rose Sisters will be provided the opportunity to share their God stories in a written form through this blog. This is only one way in which we are equipping and empowering women to share their stories with others.
When we reflect on the ways in which God has worked in our lives, we open our eyes to His hand at work and His Spirit’s guidance. When we tell those God stories, our own faith is renewed, and it sparks an interest in the minds of those who hear the message.
This emphasis for our annual theme implies a slight shift in the frequency of the blog emails you will receive (2/week). In English and in Spanish, the Tuesday blog will be the story of a Bible character—seeing their story through the lens of one facet of their life and journey with God. On Thursdays, we will hear from an Iron Rose Sister, seeing her personal story through that same lens used on a Bible character that same week.
For example, next week, Wendy will talk about Daniel’s story of his Hebrew citizenship while living as a foreigner in Babylon. Then, Stefanía, a Salvadorian sister, will share an experience she had that brought greater insight into our citizenship in heaven.
If you would prefer to not receive two blog emails in your inbox each week, you are always welcome to opt out of this blog subscription. If, however, this year’s theme sparks your own interest and you think of others who would be blessed by Our Story in God, please invite them to subscribe to the blog. Again, it is available in English or in Spanish. (INSERT LINKS)
Finally, if you would like to be a part of sharing a Bible story or some part of your own story through this blog, please respond and let us know!
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."