Bible Gateway Blog

As 2007 drew to a close, we ran a special donation drive at the Bible Gateway, asking BG users to support our ongoing ministry… and the results are in! You responded with donations totaling over $213,000!

We at the BG team are both stunned and humbled by your response. Your donations will help us continue to improve the Bible Gateway this year with new translations and new features. We’ve got some exciting plans for 2008 and your support is going to make those plans a reality.

So from the Bible Gateway team to everybody who donated or sent a prayer our way—a hearty “thank you!”

(And if you’d like to learn more about Gospel Communications, the organization behind the Bible Gateway and many other ministries, take a look at the Gospel Communications website. Your support of the Bible Gateway and Gospel Communications is always appreciated!)

Wow, not only did we click over 1,000 members before thanksgiving, but we just passed 2,500 today!

We love hearing your positive comments about the ministry of biblegateway.com, and the discussions on the boards have been inspiring. A big thank you to the group for being willing to respectfully and prayerfully minister to each other. Here are a few comments that people have left on our Wall:

“I love Biblegateway.com. Not only can I read the Word but hear it as well, thus allowing my faith to increase. Thank you for now also allowing us to be able to encourage one another and meet like minded people. I appreciate you:)” (From South Africa)

“I have made Bible Gateway a verb on IM. Such as: ‘… I cant find the verse, hold on, let me BG that.'”

“Praise the lord, am happy and thankful that i have got a forum where i can share with brothers and sisters who know the lord, thank you bible gateway for your resources, may God bless you, would like to meet people who are ready to share the word to achieve the purpose of us being here Matt28:18-20.” (From Kenya)

“bible gateway is rad.”

The group is open to anyone, so if you’re interested do a search for “Official Bible Gateway Group” on Facebook and click on “Join Group”. Please let us know if there’s any features you would love to see on the Bible Gateway.

Here’s a final round of stories we received during the Bible Gateway story giveaway. We went through the stories and picked out a few that show how the BG is being used to support the work of ministry and evangelism:

Using Bible Gateway has totally enhanced how my church does Bible Study. We are set up for wi-fi so members in our congregation will bring their laptops. As we study God’s word we use Bible Gateway because the ability to access many translations is so accessible through this website. We live in a technologically enhanced society and through Bible Gateway we have been able to bring computers into the church in a way that it doesn’t hinder but enhances our time of studying God’s word. — Jeanne

Bible Gateway is a wonderful resource because I can copy verses quickly and easily for use in this venue. I am often in conversations via the internet when I just look up a keyword or passage to use in the conversation. I have been sharing my faith with people in Dallas and Israel, in Tennessee and South Africa. Who would have thought that someone who is “just a wife and mom” in the eyes of the world could have effects for the Kingdom in the lives of her children, her neighbors, her community, and her world? — Jenny

I am a missionary in a “sensitive area” (where the work or my life could be compromised). I am the only American who has stayed and lived in this area for the last 9 years. Bringing in many reference books into the area draws attention, so having access to your study materials has been invaluable! I and a native colleague have used Biblegateway to translate the first written/printed materials into a local language — the plan of Salvation and basic materials on living the faith. As a result, we have evangelized and planted a church among Muslims! — a missionary

For a number of years we have been hosting Chinese university students for a week or more over Christmas when their dorms are closed. This has led to some great friendships and really interesting opportunities to share God’s Word. We are SO grateful for Bible Gateway and the many languages available that we don’t speak but God does! Less than 6 months ago, my husband was having a chat on MSN with one of our students, sharing the Gospel with him in his heart language by copying and pasting the Chinese script. “Kevin” put his faith in Jesus that night and Stuart had the privilege of baptizing him a few weeks later! — Mary

Thanks again to all who sent us your stories–we read all of them and appreciate the time you’ve taken to share with us!

If we learned one thing from the Bible Gateway stories you sent in, it’s that each Bible Gateway user is using the BG in a unique and personal way. Some of your stories were inspiring stories of evangelism and outreach. But a lot of them testified to the crucial, but much less flashy, ways that you use the BG in your everyday life and faith.

Here’s one story, sent in by Pam, that illustrates this:

I could tell you a wonderful story, of how I have used BibleGateway to reach others. And I would not be telling you the truth. The truth is, BibleGateway has been a haven to which I have been able to run to. This may sound selfish, but I am going through the worst depression I have ever faced in my life. I have had Multiple Sclerosis for almost 14 years. This morning, again, I had a melt down. I keep turning back to Him, and I know He is carrying me. After asking my 6 year old for forgiveness, and asking Him for forgiveness, I wanted to listen to the 23rd Psalm. And I knew the best and only place I could listen to it, with my eyes closed in meditation, was BibleGateway.

Read on for more stories about how the Bible Gateway is being used in your everyday lives:

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