And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony
~Revelation 12:11
Walking through a slum in Kenya, tears streaming down her face, Kristen asked God "How can you allow so much suffering?" He answered her, "Kristen, How can you allow this?" Kristen told this story on her blog We Are THAT Family and those words have stuck with me. They always linger in the back of my mind when I am faced with injustice in the world.
Kristen and her family founded The Mercy House a few years ago after she traveled to Kenya with Compassion International to visit her sponsored children and learned about the reality that young unwed mothers face in Kenya. This book, Rhinestone Jesus, is the story of her (and her family's) "Yes" to God after she returned from Africa.
She starts at the beginning and tells of wearing her sparkly rhinestone JESUS pin all throughout high school as a statement of her faith. She honestly tells about the struggles in her marriage and as a parent as well. Kristen and her family are regular people, just like you and me. They just chose to say "YES" in the middle of their mess. When that small YES was given God took them right out of sparkly, safe faith and led them into an amazing adventure.
One of Kristen's main themes is saying "Yes in your mess". So many of us are waiting for the "right time" to do God's work, for the finances to be right, for our kids to be grown, for the timing to right, to be "better" Christians, or maybe for God to send us a written invitation with explicit instructions (or maybe that's just me!?!)
But, you see, all that waiting for the "right" time and perfect conditions, that isn't faith. That isn't a real yes.
A real Yes is scary, it is following Jesus into the unknown and trusting He has the best for you. A real Yes is believing that God is in control and that He will finish the work He calls us to. A real Yes is hard. It is demanding, but it is so worth it. Just ask Kristen.
I really cannot recommend this book enough! Rhinestone Jesus is an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness. It is a heartfelt, honest, real life story of one family's "Yes" to God. It will certainly bring tears and some belly laughs too. There is at least a part of Kristen's story that we can all identify with. You cannot read this book and NOT be inspired!
I am so excited to be giving away 2 copies of Rhinestone Jesus!!! Enter on the form below and I will choose the winners on Friday May 2nd.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A portion of the proceeds of Rhinestone Jesus benefit The Mercy House Kenya.
If you would like to learn more or donate to The Mercy House Kenya click here.
{I was given a copy of this book to review but all opinions are my own.}
