We all have a story to tell, even if you don’t write a book, your story is worth telling.

If you have put your trust in Jesus to forgive you of your sins, you have a redemption story. Are you confident though in sharing this story with others?

We also carry other redemptive stories strung together in our lives too, the daily ways Jesus’ life continues to transform our pain into priceless heirlooms, meant for us to pass down to the next generation. Greater struggle sometimes comes after we have Christ in us, because there is an enemy who relentlessly seeks to cut off our story-telling. Each of us holds within our lives a collection of stories that follow a recurring pattern of unexpected pain, a revelation of God’s presence, a process of healing, and ultimately a priceless purpose. But not all of us have unearthed these stories, or at least we have not written them down for the encouragement of others in our lives.

This book is written to change this, to help you write what most needs to be written.

If you don’t know how to confidently tell your redemption story, how you were God’s enemy and now are his beloved child, this book gives you the tools you need to practice sharing your story. If you have places in your life where you were once bound in pain, but Jesus has used it to do a far greater work in your life, this book gives you the space to record those stories for the women who need to be strengthened. If you are struggling to see hope for painful places where shame is shouting loud, may Wild Pearl be a reminder to us that our suffering is momentary, and our afflictions light, while an eternal weight of glory is being produced for us beyond all comparison.

This book is, in part, the memoir of an ordinary little oyster. She will be a kind guide, a little friend I’ve affectionately named “Wild Pearl” for the purposes of connecting better with her story. We all want someone to connect with our story.

This book is also, in part, my own redemption story. Told together, we hope our stories of where we came from, how we came to be, what happened to us that shaped us, and what God did to redeem our pain, will help you discover a hopeful story for your wounded heart.

And all this hope, for all of our stories, is all found in Jesus.