Lambert Cindy - Perfectly unfinished: finding beauty in the midst of brokenness

CONTENTS

PRAISE FOR PERFECTLY UNFINISHED

Transparent, heartfelt, encouragingheres the dramatic, true story of Andrea Logan Whites journey from the Playboy Mansion to Jesus. Youll be inspired and challenged by what she learned on her path toward redemption and hope.

Lee Strobel, New York Times bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith

Nothing fills the hungry heart like infinite love and acceptance. And with every chapter of Perfectly Unfinished, we are assured again and again that we are not alone and that the Spirit of God speaks to us, perhaps most of all and best of all through Gods people who have been most broken. Thank you, Andrea Logan White, for learning to love yourself, because in this discovery, so many of your sisters will learn to do the same.

Robin Givens, actress, author, and mom

Perfectly Unfinished is raw, real, and inspiring. With courage, strength, and vulnerability, Andrea Logan White shares the struggles she endured and the freedom she discovered as a woman, wife, and mother when she learned to fully surrender her life to the Lord. Starting every chapter with inspiring Scripture, Andrea reminds us that even in our weakest and most desperate times, Gods love is still readily available, and he is longing for us to accept it. This book is encouraging and LIFEsaving.

Alexa Vega, actress

ZONDERVAN

Perfectly Unfinished

Copyright 2017 by Andrea Logan White

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Epub Edition August 2017 ISBN 9780310345343

ISBN 978-0-310-34533-6 (softcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-35051-4 (audio)

ISBN 978-0-310-34534-3 (ebook)

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Disclaimer: The author has made her best effort to re-create events, locales, and conversations from memory. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Andrea Logan White is represented by The Litton Group, a brand management and content strategy agency in Brentwood, Tennessee. Learn more at www.TheLittonGroup.com.

Cover photo: Christine Comina McCrudden

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

First printing August 2017 / Printed in the United States of America

To my precious family, and to all who long for perfection

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

HEBREWS 12:12

Thank God, I am not the woman I once was.

But oh, how I long to be already a woman who dances peacefully through life with grace and beauty. A woman who shines in every storm and fully trusts that God is at work for her good and for his glory.

In other words, I want to be perfect. (I mean, really, is that asking too much?)

I want to be perfectly finished and all wrapped up in a beautiful package so that I can just enjoy a pleasant story of the rest of my life. I know Im not the only woman who feels this way! We may vary a good bit in how we describe the perfection to which we aspire, but I meet women on a regular basis who share my struggle of coming up short of the women we want to be.

My ideal is to have a perfect marriage with amicable disagreements that always resolve in perfect unity. I want nightly dinners around the table, where my children sit still for more than four minutes and eat every bite of wholesome food on their well-portioned plates. I want a perfectly organized home that everyone in the house helps to keep tidy. I want to exercise and meditate and drink green juice and of course go to church every Sunday, on time with peaceful precision. And dare I say it: Id love to wear white linen that I never spill on, and even when I embrace my child with dirty hands and muddy clothes, the linen would never soil. And oh, if Im dreaming that big, I may as well throw in a shelf full of Oscars alongside my New York Times bestsellers.

Yes, perfect and finished. Thats the dream.

Like the cast and crew at the gala premiere of our movie, Moms Night Out.

Flashes of light flickered so rapidly that it seemed like I was facing a hundred strobe lights.

Over here to the right, a voice called. I turned and smiled. So many cameras clicked and voices competed to be heard that there was no way to please so many photographers (professionals and fans) at once. All I could do was keep turning and smiling.

Group shot, someone called, so I moved in closer to my fellow cast members as we reached our arms around one another like old college friends at homecoming. What a fun way to enjoy our reunion of cast and crew.

On your left. Thats it. Perfect. I tried not to blink too often as black spots now dominated my vision.

I was having a blast at the gala red carpet premiere of our major motion picture, Moms Night Out, at Graumans Chinese Theatre. So, too, were my effervescent costarsPatricia Heaton (Everyone Loves Raymond), Sarah Drew (Greys Anatomy), and Abbie Cobb (Suburgatory). Trace Adkins, towering a head taller than the rest of the cast in his signature black cowboy hat, was grinning from ear to ear. Sean Astin, used to such events, thanks to his starring role in the Lord of the Rings films, remained as relaxed and down-to-earth as a next-door neighbor enjoying a block party. Each red-carpet premiere that Ive attended, before and after this one, has its own character, but thanks to this film being a comedy, this premiere was overflowing with laughter.

We had reason to celebrate. This was a big deal. Its always rewarding to experience a movie from its development all the way to the finished product, but not every movie is given the opportunity for a Graumans galaa high spot in the world of entertainmentand I was honored to have played a part in a movie so well received. How perfect, too, that