Sweet Like Jasmine , livre ebook

Harvest House Publishers - Bonnie Gray

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144 pages

English

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This is the story of God whispering, ';What no one wants, I cherish.' The daughter of a mail-order bride and a busboy from San Francisco's Chinatown, Bonnie Gray grew up never truly feeling beautiful or beloved. As an adult, she built her life to look pleasant and ordinary, with a wonderful husband, two amazing boys, and a thriving career. But despite these blessings, she still felt the tugging emptiness of a missing piece. At 39, a long-forgotten birth certificate in an old file cabinet sparked a curiosity Bonnie couldn't ignore. Determined to uncover her family's secrets and understand the home she was born into, Bonnie embarked on a quest that would leave her forever changed. Returning to the culture, places, and stories that shaped her, her search led her to soul-shaking discoveries about her identity, human kindness and what it truly means to belong. The profoundly moving journey of learning to embrace our true worth, Sweet Like Jasmine celebrates how God uses our unique and broken stories to create a beautiful mosaic of His love, one life at a time.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Popular psychology

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Publié par	Harvest House Publishers
Date de parution	05 octobre 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780736983433
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0850€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Endorsements
In a world crying out for kindness and belonging, this is a book needed for our times. Sweet Like Jasmine is a gift, a beautiful remembrance that God treasures each of our broken hearts in His sweeping story of redemption.
Ann Voskamp,
New York Times bestselling author of The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts
Sweet Like Jasmine feels like having a cup of tea with a kind and brave friend who reminds you of God s love, His grace, and how His unseen hand is in all of our stories. It s beautiful and powerful, life giving and heart freeing, deeply personal and soul-touching relatable. I read it one weekend, savoring every word, and I didn t want it to end.
Holley Gerth,
Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Powerful Purpose of Introverts
Bonnie has a gift! Her stories draw you in from the start, and her raw honesty captures the heart of all who are looking for love and belonging in a culture of loneliness and isolation. This book is a healing balm of beauty from brokenness.
Rebekah Lyons,
bestselling author of Rhythms of Renewal and You Are Free
If you ve struggled with feeling as if you don t fit in or aren t good enough, Bonnie s story of finding beauty and belonging in her brokenness will encourage your heart. I loved her poignant retelling of both the sweet and the bitter memories from her childhood, and how she can look back and see God s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of it.
Crystal Paine,
New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and founder of MoneySavingMom.com
Bonnie Gray is an engaging storyteller who reminds us of the grace woven through each chapter of our lives. This book is both poetic and insightful. Beautiful and honest. A worthy companion through the wilderness of learning to find our identity. Through stories, letters, cultural insights, and reflections, Sweet Like Jasmine generously provides much-needed language and permission to embrace the wholeness of who we are.
Morgan Harper Nichols,
author of All Along You Were Blooming
No one tells a story like Bonnie Gray! Join her on a journey of vulnerability, discovery, and a growing awareness of God s redemptive power in our lives. Along the way, you ll see that it s right in our broken places that God shows himself strong.
Kathi Lipp,
bestselling author and speaker
This is one of those books that will stay with you long after you ve turned the final page. Bonnie s story is achingly beautiful-not only because it s true, but because it is truly transformative. Our two life stories couldn t be more different, yet Bonnie s story is also mine. And it s yours. This is a story of the secrets and shame we all carry, and how God is working-always working-to bring beauty out of every broken moment. This book is a treasure.
Jennifer Dukes Lee,
author of Growing Slow and It s All Under Control
Sweet Like Jasmine is a love story that will bring beauty and healing to tender places in the heart and deeper compassion for those who have ever felt unlovable or unworthy.
Melissa Michaels,
New York Times bestselling author of Love the Home You Have and Dwelling
A beautiful book with thought-provoking reflections, Sweet Like Jasmine is a captivating blend of powerful story and hope-filled self-discovery. I couldn t put it down!
Renee Swope,
bestselling author of A Confident Heart
Bonnie has often led the way to freedom and truth by going there first herself. Her ability to invite us as readers into her stories, and therefore into our own stories, makes this world a better, more healed place.
Annie F. Downs,
New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun
Sweet
Like
Jasmine
Bonnie Gray

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked BSB are taken from The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, copyright 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Verses marked HCSB have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible , Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible , Holman CSB , and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Verses marked WEB are taken from the World English Bible. Verses marked WEB are taken from the World English Bible.
Verses marked GOD S WORD are taken from GOD S WORD. GOD S WORD is a copyrighted work of God s Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the (NASB ) New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org .
Verses marked ERV are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version. Copyright 2006 by Bible League International.
Cover design by Faceout Studio
Cover photo Sveta_Aho / Gettyimages
Interior design by KUHN Design Group
The author is represented by Alive Literary Agency, www.aliveliterary.com
Names and minor details have been changed in the real-life stories shared in this book to protect the privacy of the individuals mentioned.
For bulk, special sales, or ministry purchases, please call 1-800-547-8979.
Email: Customerservice@hhpbooks.com.
is a federally registered trademark of the Hawkins Children s LLC. Harvest House Publishers, Inc., is the exclusive licensee of the trademark.
Sweet Like Jasmine
Copyright 2021 by Bonnie Lee Gray
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-8342-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-8343-3 (eBook)
ISBN 978-0-7369-8587-1 (eAudio)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021935220
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
To Jesus
my Loving Savior
who understood my loneliness
and tenderly calls me His beloved
To Eric
my beloved soulmate
because writing a new story
with you makes life beautiful
To Josh and Caleb
my beloved sons
because being your mom is a joy, seeing
God s light shining within you
And to my kindred readers
because we are all simply walking each other home
Contents
Endorsements
Dedication
Introduction
Birth Certificate
The Silk Dress
The Candy Store
Strange Medicine
Bookstore
Noodle Shop
Vegetable Stand
Women in the Mirror
Fate
College
My Mother s Daughter
Homeland
Lotus Flower
Survivor s Guilt
Limbo
Red Bean Dessert
Earthquake
Cut Up
Family Code
Normal
Gift Basket
Double Happiness
Chinese Hospital
The Bakery
Scars
Dim Sum
The Cup
Cable Car
Homecoming
Parting Words
Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction

I ve never truly felt beautiful or beloved. That sounds like something only people with perfect families in nice-looking houses get to experience. I wanted to grow up and leave behind everything that made me feel weird, flawed, and broken. So, I did all the things I was supposed to do and built a life that looked like everyone else s.
I did this so I could have a chance at being normal. So I could belong. So I could be loved. But something unexpected happened. As I tried to build the life I thought I should have, I discovered that I was not whole-not even close.
Even though I was grateful for everything in my life, I didn t feel happy. I didn t feel like I belonged anywhere. Instead of joy, I felt lonely and uninspired.
Somewhere along the way, I lost the things that make life beautiful and meaningful, that make us come alive with beauty and joy.
Once I had my second baby and became a mom to two boys, I figured it was too late for me. I was a parent now. We can t all choose our childhoods, but it was time to make the next generation better. Just get over yourself, Bonnie, I told myself. And that is how I gave up on myself.
But God didn t give up on me. This is a story of how He tenderly gathered all the bruised and broken fragments I had tried to throw away. This is the story of God whispering, What no one wants, I cherish. I love every part of you. You are worth loving. You are My beloved.
As we take this journey together, I pray that you will hear this loving whisper come alive in you too, as you open your heart to your own story and embrace all you are created to be.
CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY
Join me. Listen to your life and celebrate everything that has happened to you, because it is through those events that God speaks. Together, we will go on an intimate journey to recognize your belovedness, realizing that flaws are not meant to be erased, but worth loving and even celebrating. The things that make us different and broken are the very parts that make us beautiful and bind us together.
This soulful journey is a powerful self-discovery experience made more meaningful by sharing it with friends, as you pause in the busyness of life and discover the gift of your stories. I encourage you to read this book with a gathering of