How Matthew West Uses Stories to Point Fans to God
By Movieguide® Contributor
Christian artist Matthew West explained how he uses stories — his own and other people’s — to inspire others and help them see God in their lives.
West’s story with music began in high school. Though his passion growing up had been baseball, he was forced to give up his dream when he was not offered any scholarships to play in college.
“I think it sometimes takes a dream coming to an end to discover what your deeper purpose and calling is,” West told Fox News host Shannon Bream. “I began to kind of look around me and realized that for a long time, people had kind of been encouraging me saying, ‘Hey, you have a gift for music.’ And I always sang and things, but I was never taking it seriously.”
“So when I began to turn my attention to music, I started to sing, and people said, ‘Man, you have a really gifted voice,’ and things like that, but I found myself thinking, I’d be a lot more excited to sing a song if it was something I was really feeling in my life or in my own story…” he continued. “I remember hearing a James Taylor song and thinking, well, what if I could write a song that told my story and that’s when it really started to take off.”
Having found so much purpose in telling his own story, West soon shifted his attention to other people and finding ways for them to share their experiences as well.
“That’s something that I’ve felt that I’ve been put on this earth to do is to encourage people to know that their story matters, that their story has significance, ” he said. “A lot of the songs that I’ve had that are like hits on the radio, they’re actually inspired by [other people’s stories].”
“‘Hello My Name Is’ was inspired by Jordan who wrote to me about his battle with addiction and how he realized it wasn’t just a battle with addiction, it was a battle for his identity,’ West continued.
To continue to empower people to use their stories to help others, West and his father created a nonprofit that allows people to record and share their stories.
“At our ministry’s website, people have an opportunity to share their story,” West explained. “People can submit a video or they can write it in. And the goal of that is to tell your story to be an encouragement to somebody else. To let somebody else know that they’re not alone.”
West’s belief in the power of story is also the heart behind his new devotional, “My Story, Your Glory: Discover the Journey God Has Planned for You,” which takes readers through the journey of seeing the value in their story and the way that God has been present.
“By sharing his own highs and lows, West relates to readers and helps them to reflect on the less-than-perfect parts of their lives,” a synopsis of the book reads. “Readers are pointed to examples in Scripture of people not much different from us, and how God, in His glory, redeemed their stories. In every way that we are not enough, our God is. West encourages readers to give God the glory in both the best days and worst days.”
He’s sharing snippets of devotionals inspired by his song “Don’t Stop Praying” to encourage his Instagram followers.
“You may feel lonely, but you are not alone. You have a friend in Jesus. You have a comforter in Jesus. You have a counselor in Jesus. You have a savior in Jesus. Whatever you are facing today, you don’t have to face it alone. He is with you,” West wrote.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Christian music artist Matthew West just released a new book that reminds readers how God uses our stories to glorify himself.
The book, “My Story, Your Glory: Discover the Journey God Has Planned for You,” is a 30-day devotional where West guides “readers to discover how God’s love can rewrite our stories while exploring how His glory redeems every chapter of our lives, the title comes from West’s hit single and album of the same name,” the Christian Beat reported.
“There is nothing more inspiring and uplifting than witnessing stories of God at work in people’s lives,” West said. “Our testimonies of God’s faithfulness have the power to embolden each other, carry each other through hard times, and change the world.”
“This is a devotional about your story…a guide to help you remember that your story is being written by the Master Storyteller and that you are here on this earth for a very important reason: to give God glory. Each day challenges you to consider a new truth of what God is currently doing or has done in your life, and to turn the focus of your life toward the glory of the One who loves you,” the musician added.
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