A Peek At My Bookshelf: Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch

About the Book:

ARE YOU SETTLING for a shiny, pinned-on, ornamental faith? Get ready for one that’s messy, bold, and courageous.

In high school, Kristen Welch wore a big, sparkly rhinestone “Jesus” pin every day and carried her Bible wherever she went. (Yes, she was that girl.) But she didn’t realize her faith, though sincere, was shallow; much like her artificial accessory, it would one day tarnish, no longer a true reflection of who she was.

Real life and motherhood catapulted Kristen into places and situations she’d never imagined. There came a day when she stood in the slums of Africa, poised on the brink of a risk bigger than any she’d ever taken. And she knew she didn’t stand a chance—unless she was ready to put aside the rhinestones and get branded by the real thing.

Rhinestone Jesus is the spiritual adventure story of one woman who went from living a safe, “good-girl” faith that didn’t cost much, to realizing that God was daring her to say yes to a deeper, more authentic way.

This book throws the doors wide open for any woman who’s ever thought of herself as “just a mom.” Read it and be inspired. Be empowered. Say yes to God right where you are—and stand amazed at how your life will shine

My Thoughts:

Sometimes I feel so sorry for the people who have to write what I affectionately call 'back cover blurps'. Somehow he or she has to find a way to take over 200 pages and smooshed it down into three or four paragraphs, and that is much harder than it looks.

Truthfully, it was the front cover of the book that captured my attention first. I thought it looked fun and cute and like something I'd enjoy reading. I had no idea that life-changing pages awaited me. I had no clue just how deep this 'cute book' was going to take me, or how far I would travel as I journeyed with Kristen.

You'll be astonished as you see what God has done through and with Kristen and her precious family. In fact, you'll be reading along, learning all about the Welch family, and you'll blink and find yourself in the midst of some of the most exciting and challenging world-changing work I've ever read about.

But the beauty of it all is this: Kristen is just a mom and wife who passionately loves Jesus, and she's just married to a guy who is a husband and father and he also passionately loves Jesus. Her kids are just sons and daughters, brothers and sisters who passionately love Jesus and their mom and dad. Just regular Christian people with a passion for Jesus.

My favorite chapter had to be "That Messy Peach Pie", because that absolutely took any guilt the enemy was trying to pile on my shoulders and shoved it down his lying throat! Kristen is genuine, real, and she's just like you and me. Follow her as she follows Christ, and do what she's encouraging us to do...

...find our own Kenya. I found mine seemingly by accident, when I agreed to be a mom to a young woman in crisis who had no living parent. I just became a mom again yesterday to a 20 something young girl who's been abandoned by her family. God is showing me my Kenya, and while I'm scared witless, I'm also so excited about where He's taking me.

Get Kristen's book. Read "Rhinestone Jesus" for yourself. Then find your place to serve, and give it your whole heart for Him. My thanks to my friends at Tyndale Publishing for my complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Rhinestone Jesus" is a life-changing read, and I highly, highly recommend it. Now, I'm off to sign up for Kristen's blog, We are THAT Family!

Happy Reading!

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