I have spent the last few weeks pouring over the words written by Kristen Welch in her new book, Rhinestone Jesus.
God is using this book to speak right to my heart. He has used it to push and challenge me and also to encourage me.
I have been following Kristen through her blog, We Are THAT Family, for years. I think we began sharing our stories with the world around the same time.
Rhinestone Jesus tells even more of Kristen’s story, beginning when she wore a sparkly rhinestone “Jesus” pin in high school to show her faith.
But what Kristen came to realize was that an on the surface, shallow faith wasn’t enough.
The realities of real life, marriage, and motherhood took over and left her feeling empty.
Then, after a trip with Compassion, where she faced the realities of human suffering and poverty, God called upon her to say YES to Him.
She and her family along with Maureen, a Compassion graduate in Kenya, began a maternity home in Nairobi, Kenya as a result of that YES.
God is using her faithful obedience in saying yes to him, right in the middle of her mess to impact these young girls and the entire world.
I can relate to the story that Kristen tells in so many ways.
It is not so much unlike my own story…and probably yours, too.
I didn’t wear a sparkly rhinestone Jesus pin in highschool, but I do remember faithfully wearing a cross pendant during my freshman year. I had recently accepted Christ and I was excited to share my faith. From that point forward, I wanted to do something big for God, but life quickly got in the way. By the end of my time in high school, all I wanted to do was to “get out of dodge”. I wanted to escape the small town in grew up in, head off to college, and independently life my life. I wanted to be completely on my own.
Left on my own, I don’t know where I would be today.
But I wan’t left to fend for myself. God pursued me and showed me love. He filled in the gaps in my lonely heart. He gave peace to my hurting spirit.
I found a church family to belong to, grew in my faith and even learned how to share my faith.
Once again, I so desired to do something big for God!
But I had my own ideas of what that meant.
I thought that serving God meant signing up to go on the mission field.
All I wanted to do was share Him with the lost and dying world.
The week before my senior year of college began, I stepped forward and answered what I thought was a call to full time missionary work.
I didn’t know what this would look like, but I knew without a doubt that God was calling me to serve Him and I wanted to answer with a resounding YES!
That same week I met my future husband.
God is funny isn’t He?
I had no idea what He was up to and I questioned Him so many times along the way.
My plan for serving God didn’t involve a husband and children. I thought I would do it all on my own. My dream was to be a single full time missionary.
God’s dream for me was so much bigger (and better) than my own.
Through reading Rhinestone Jesus, I didn’t feel guilty for not serving God is a bigger way than I am right now.
I didn’t feel beat up for not saying “YES” to God in my mess.
No, not at all.
Rhinestone Jesus has been such a gift to me because through reading it I realized that I have said YES to God.
My husband is a chaplain in the United States Army and we have four beautiful children.
I have said YES to God through answering His call to serve my husband so he can make an impact on our nation’s soldiers.
He has deployed to Iraq twice.
Through those deployments, God has stretched and molded me as I struggled to care for our children, encourage my husband from many miles away, and make an impact on my community.
We have moved five times (soon to be six) over the last nine years.
In each location, I have discovered different ways that God has called me to say YES to Him.
Sometimes it’s in being faithful to changing diapers and washing dishes.
Other times it has been through leading Bible Studies and ministering to Army spouses.
Through reading Rhinestone Jesus I have realized that I have said YES to God and I want nothing more than to continue saying YES to Him because:
1. His plans for me are always to much bigger and better than my own.
2. He works through simple, ordinary people being obedient to saying YES to Him in the middle of the messes of their life so that HE will receive honor and glory. I want nothing more than for God to receive honor and glory through my YESses.
3. God’s economy is not my own. He works in mighty ways through what we could consider to be small things. Your small YES can make a huge impact for the kingdom of God.
I love that in Rhinestone Jesus, Kristen doesn’t sugar coat anything.
She shares her messes with us, her messes that look much like mine and yours.
She shares her struggles and hardships.
Saying YES isn’t easy, but it is so worth it!
I would love nothing more than for you to read Rhinestone Jesus and discover how God is leading you to say YES to Him in your mess.
Maybe you’ll find out that you all ready have.
And I know you’ll come away encouraged to continue doing so.
Rhinestone Jesus is available through Amazon, DaySpring, and CBD.
Also, I would love to giveaway a copy of Rhinestone Jesus to one of you!
Just leave a comment below letting me know why you would like to read Rhinestone Jesus or how you have been called to say YES to God in your mess.
I’ll pick a winner on May 5, so you have until then to comment.
Before I go, I want to leave you with the book trailer for Rhinestone Jesus, you’ll get a glimpse of the beauty of this book and Kristen’s heart through watching it!
Also, I’d like to encourage you to take a look at the work of Mercy House and how Kristen’s yes is changing lives.
And pray about the YES that God is calling you to follow Him in obedience to. If I can join you in this prayer, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Melissa Kuhlman says
Monica,
We got to visit Mercy House when we went to visit Kenya after RIchard got back from Afghanistan in 2011. It was amazing to watch and see how awesomely God provides! Hope y’all are doing well! Thanks for sharing, now I want to read her book!- Melissa
Monica says
Hi Melissa!
I wanted to let you know that you won the giveaway copy of Rhinestone Jesus from my blog!!! I’m so excited for you to be able to read this incredible book. Please e-mail me your address at dailydwelling@gmail.com and I’ll have it on its way to you as soon as possible.
Congratulations!
Monica
Laura Pol says
I feel this book would be so encouraging to read and inspire me to say YES to God in the fullest way I can!
Beth (@SimplyBeth3) says
What a wonderful review. This was truly a delight to read and you have me looking forward to reading this book more than I already way. You sum it up so well here ~> “Saying YES isn’t easy, but it is so worth it!” It’s SO worth it. God bless you. Nice to *meet* you through the Christian MilSpouse FB page.
Allison says
Beautiful testimony, my friend! Thankful for the ministry God has called you to….it has been a blessing to me!
Jennifer Ott says
I worked overseas in missions before marriage, then got married, had 4 kids, etc. I have tried to be faithful in what The Lord has given us to do… Now He is taking us to Zambia to serve Him there. But it is tough to keep my focus on Him in the ‘in between’. This isn’t the picture I had for my family, and everything is (literally and figuratively) a big mess :)! I would love to read Kristen’s book!