An Interview with Kathy Boekman
What is grace? It is the unearned, unmerited kindness that God grants us. Grace is the evidence of His hand on our lives. Sometimes it’s easier to see God’s grace when looking at the lives of others.
Consider my friend, Kathy Boekman. 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. I call these grace gifts. In all honesty, Kathy’s story could be a book or movie, the events of her life are that powerful!
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 has gone on to work in law enforcement, with the biblical program called Celebrate Recovery, and even to help hurting teen girls by founding a ministry called House of Healing.
On a Council Road mission trip to Srilanka, God called Kathy to missions. When she returned home, she continued to seek Him, asking, “Where is my mission field?” She assumed God would take her to a foreign land, until 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 others through her mentoring in her work with the House of Healing.
Often, as in Kathy’s story, the most difficult places in our lives are the very ones God redeems and uses for His glory—and that’s what I call grace. In the words of the old hymn by Julia Johnston, “Grace, grace, God’s grace... Grace that is greater than all our sin.”
What evidence of grace can you see in your own life? 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.
To hear my entire interview 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/run in the 8th Annual Easter Run benefiting them, go to: www.house-of-healing.org.
Click the podcast link below to listen:
Kathy is the founder and director of the House of Healing for the teenage soul. Through this ministry Kathy has been able to reach countless Oklahoma teen girls. One of the Scriptures God used to direct her calling is: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." —1 Corinthians 2:9
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! 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!