November brings Thanksgiving in the US. We like to take the November newsletter as an opportunity to say a special thank you to all of you for all the ways you serve with us in ministry. We are truly grateful for you!
Rather than a sample Q&A, you’ll notice in this newsletter a celebration of volunteer writers for whom 2018 marks ten years of service with Got Questions. We’ve asked them to share a bit about why they became involved with Got Questions, why they’ve remained with us, and their time serving. Enjoy!
HAPPY TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!
Jonathan Lim (March 2008): 10 years ago, God was gracious to change my life during my senior year of high school through a series of events. I remember that being a crucial year for my faith and God was gracious to allow me to stumble upon the GotQuestions website. It has been a privilege serving in this ministry over the past 10 years. It excites me to think about the faces of those who I will meet one day in heaven who may have been personally blessed by the questions that I’ve answered in this ministry. God is faithful and I look forward to see how He will continue to use us as His instruments for His glory.
Mathew Paul (March 2008): I began my ministry as a Bible Translator after my research degree in Biblical Hebrew followed by the SIL training in the UK. I worked on the unwritten language of a jungle tribe in S.India for twelve years and I was on a literacy project trying to teach the natives reading and writing when a viral fever left my legs paralyzed.
Zeal for the work of the Lord did not diminish with my health condition. I used every opportunity to serve the Lord though I had to leave the jungle situation. And when I got my first computer ten years ago I got in touch with Global Media Outreach and also Got Questions.
The Lord gave me grace to translate several pages of GQ into my mother tongue, most of which as a volunteer even though GQ was willing to pay me for the same. I found that GQ was teaching exactly the same thing as I believe is truly biblical.
I was given grace to answer two to three questions every week except when I get admitted for treatment now and then. My training in early life gave me opportunity to answer questions in specialized fields like biblical archeology.
I thank the Lord for the ministry of GQ and I feel that I have a small share in the work of the Lord through this ministry. I also volunteer with the GMO as an on-line missionary meeting dozens of seekers every day from all around the English-speaking world, and a few of them have become my very close friends and associates who came to know the Lord from other than the Christian background. I feel fulfilled in life even though I am on a wheel chair for years now.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve my Lord in my physical infirmity. God bless.
Jessica Goforth (April 2008): I got involved with GotQuestions.org because I was often disappointed with the brevity and quality of answers to theological questions that I’d found online. I wanted to carefully research questions and provide thorough answers to them.
I’ve continued for 10 years mostly because from time to time there will be young people coming to the site who have difficult home lives and are reaching out for help and advice. I want to do everything I can to help them, and to point them to professionals who can provide further assistance.
T.J. Conwell (April 2008): I joined Got Questions sometime in 2008 after discovering the site and seeing that the ministry’s biblical foundation was solid – and that each article was focused on sharing not only God’s love and grace, but the truth of His word without apology. Throughout the past 10 years, I have been challenged by many questions – entertained by others – saddened by some – but through it all I’ve seen one common thread: People want to know more about Jesus and understand who He is in our difficult world.
After 10 years, I’ve thought of what keeps me volunteering and the answer is always the same: I love seeing people want to know more about the Bible, and I really enjoy that moment when their question becomes for them an “I get it moment”, and their knowledge, love, and understanding deepens. Thank you all so much for the opportunity to be a part of this ministry.
Lesley Mitchell (June 2008): What got me involved in Got Questions? I first discovered Got Questions from a link given in an answer to a question on the Yahoo Religion & Spirituality site that I joined in 2006. I discovered Got Questions had lots of useful articles and so I began to use them as a source of information when answering questions on Yahoo R&S. Eventually, I became disillusioned with the Yahoo R&S site and felt prompted to do something more meaningful, something that would better help me point others to Christ. So I contacted Got Questions to ask if I could become a volunteer writer for them. I vividly recall my first GQ assignment which was in July 2008.
A Christian gentleman in Pakistan wanted detailed information on the position of women in Christianity for his August church programme: (1) as Prophetess; (2) as Mother; (3) as Wife; (4) as Daughter; (5) as Sister; (6) Role of women in Christianity in Gospel Preaching.
That was a very big request! It took me days before I could submit my answer – which was four pages long! Happily, subsequent assignments have not been so demanding, and I’ve learned how to condense answers, mainly by directing people to existing Got Questions articles.
What has kept me with Got Questions for 10 years? After my husband and I attended the GQ 2012 anniversary celebrations, I wrote this in my diary: “This ministry is going from strength to strength and it seems very clear that God is blessing their efforts.” What keeps me with GQ is the satisfaction and blessing from answering real questions from people who are really seeking God. It is also a real privilege to help Christians who are themselves trying to witness to people who have been deceived by cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Also, I learn from the research I do and this is a real blessing.
My Personal Highlight was the GQ June 2012 Anniversary celebrations in Colorado Springs. My husband and I flew from the U.K. to Denver for a three week road trip, culminating in the training session on Wednesday 20 June. Four GQ team members delivered presentations on how to deal with tough questions, responding to cultists, connecting effectively with the questioner and identifying different types, along with finding research tools and developing good writing practices. The next day we went to lunch at B.J’s to meet more volunteer writers and staff members. Our fellowship with like-minded Christians was uplifting and encouraging – a real blessing.
My Favourite Memory was on our homeward flight from Denver (just before the Waldo Canyon wildfire swept down into Colorado Springs, resulting in over 32,000 people having to evacuate). On the flight to Philadelphia, I had elected to wear my new GQ purple tee-shirt. Emblazoned on the front, in bright yellow, were the words ‘GOT QUESTIONS? The Bible Has Answers! We’ll Find Them For You!’ As we stood in the isle, waiting to get to our seats, a lady about my age reached out to touch my hand and said, “I like your tee-shirt.” Good to know people notice, and care, and that we can individually play our part in helping to point others to Christ as the answer – to everything!
Wendyl Leslie (August 2008): Though mostly deaf since birth, I’ve been fortunate that with the use of hearing aids, for most of my adult life I’ve been able to serve the church in many capacities: Bible teacher, deacon, elder, even preaching. However, about ten to twelve years ago, I’ve had to discontinue these activities because my hearing loss grew to the extent that hearing aids no longer enable me to hear effectively.
It was also about this time I discovered the GotQuestions.org ministry while helping my son establish a regional online Christian newspaper. Seeing that GQ was a tremendous resource for the content we were looking for, I contacted Shea who readily gave us permission to use articles from the site. Shortly afterward, I began writing articles and answering questions for GQ. Now, in my seventies, no longer able to teach in a Bible class setting or preach from a pulpit, I can still share the word of God on an even more personal level through the GQ ministry.
Presently, I answer between two to three questions weekly. During these past ten years, I’ve written over a hundred articles and answered probably over a thousand questions. Like most writers for GQ, I’ve been assigned some pretty memorable questions. Two of them were shortly after I started. One was “Should a church accept tithes from the winnings of a lottery?” Another was “What is the Toll Booth Doctrine?” I remember it took me hours to find anything on that one. In a nutshell, it’s a belief that after one dies, they have to go through a series of twenty “toll booths” manned by demons who ask specific questions about your sins. If you’ve committed any unrepented sins, you’re doomed to hell. You can look this up on WikiLeaks for more info on it.
I’ve always said, and always will, the GotQuestions.org ministry is one of the most powerful Christian websites on the Internet today, reaching millions of people every month, answering their most pressing needs about their eternal salvation. You can find no greater resource than us. GQ has not only blessed those who come to our site from all over the world but those of us who serve the Lord through it. Thank you, Shea, and GotQuestions.org for being a huge part of my life.
Sally Plemons (September 2008): I was privileged to become a part of the Got Questions ministry family 10 years ago when I discovered it and saw what an amazing tool it is for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Truly, Got Questions has been the biggest blessing in my life for many reasons, some of which are being able to share the gospel all over the world from the comfort of my own home; having the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve helped someone to grow in their walk with our Lord, and having a part in the Holy Spirit’s work of bringing others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
I often think of the words written in Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose.” Though Satan uses the computer seduce people into his web, God is using it to bring people into His kingdom through ministries like Got Questions, and words cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of such a God-ordained organization.
I thank God for the opportunity, and pray that He continues to use ‘our’ ministry, until He comes…
Dan Barkman (December 2008): What has kept me volunteering for ten years is knowing that many people around the world have questions about Christianity or the Bible that really bother them. It is not always easy to find biblically faithful answers to those questions. GotQuestions Ministries has been around for quite awhile trying to provide those answers and it has just been a privilege to have played a small part in that.
I think that it is so important for Christians to be able to give fellow believers reasons and answers that strengthen their faith while also giving unbelievers reasons to question their skepticism. I think that they are both probably equally important.
Answering some emails has caused me to look into questions and issues that I may never have otherwise. Sometimes answering an email turns into a learning experience for me too. I don’t have any particular question that sticks out to me but I know it is always good to hear back from questioners who tell you how much your answer has helped them in their spiritual walk with Christ.
Also celebrating:
Mark LeMaster (June 2008)
Frank Schieber (August 2008)
Stuart Parsons (August 2008)
