Kathy Boeckman
I find myself thinking a lot about grace during the Lent season. Simply put, it’s the unearned, unmerited kindness that God grants us. Grace is the evidence of His hand on our lives, sometimes easier to see when looking at the lives of others.
Consider a conversation I recently had with my friend, Kathy Boeckman. Although Kathy’s personal story is filled with difficult events and experiences, God has graciously used them for her good and the good of others—grace gifts.
As a child, Kathy was a victim of sexual abuse and even her earliest memories in the church were filled with pain. Her own pain resulted in drug and alcohol abuse, but God delivered her from addiction and even took her back to her childhood congregation, allowing her to experience restoration while serving as youth minister there.
As a young adult, a couple mentored Kathy and permanently changed the course of her life. Her difficult past has been beautifully redeemed as she went on to work in law enforcement, served in the biblical program called Celebrate Recovery, and ultimately founded House of Healing to mentor hurting teen girls.
On a Council Road mission trip to Sri Lanka, God called Kathy to missions. When she returned home, she continued to seek Him, asking, “Where is my mission field?”, Assuming God would take her to a foreign land, He made it very clear, “it’s right here in your own town, ministering to teen girls….it’s the House of Healing. That’s your mission field.”
Kathy now makes it her life’s purpose to positively impact the lives of countless young women through her full-time ministry, House of Healing: for the teenage soul.
Often, as in Kathy’s story, the most difficult seasons in our lives are the very ones God redeems and uses for His glory—again, grace gifts. In the words of the old hymn by Julia Johnston, “Grace, grace, God’s grace... Grace that is greater than all our sin.”
To hear my entire conversation with Kathy, click the link below or go to the Uniquely Beautiful Stories podcast on iTunes. I promise, you will be blessed by hearing the whole story.
For more information about the House of Healing or to sign up to walk, jog, or run in their 9th Annual Benefit Easter Run, go to the HOH website. We’d love to have you join us on April 20th!
Click the link below to listen to the podcast episode:
How has God brought painful circumstances full circle and used them to draw you and others closer to Himself?
Wherever you are, I encourage you to pause and thank God for the evidence of grace in your life, especially the life-changing grace gift of Jesus, the One who makes all things new.
Meet the Author!
Heather McAnear is a wife, mom, author and speaker with a passion for sharing God's truth to help women understand their uniquely beautiful design and how to use it for God's glory! In fact, Heather hosts the Uniquely Beautiful Stories podcast on iTunes in hopes do just that! She loves teaching young married couples with her husband, homeschooling their three children, traveling the world, enjoying good chocolate and long conversations in coffee shops. CRBC has been her church home for two decades and she is thrilled to be part of the Women's Ministry team, helping women connect with each other and grow in their walk with Jesus!