If you are wondering whether to share your mistakes and pain, if you think your past is too ugly for God, think no more. Kasey walks us through the hardest parts of our story by letting us see her ugly turned lovely. Nothing Wasted is raw, ugly, beautiful, horrifying, sad, and exhilarating. My world is better because I read this book.
MISSY ROBERTSON, DUCK DYNASTY; FOUNDER, LAMININ AND THE MIA MOO FUND
Kasey writes from a place of honesty and brokenness. If you wonder whether God can use someone like you, read this book! God brings beauty from ashes, every time we let him.
KAREN KINGSBURY, NOVELIST, TWO WEEKS
A deeply encouraging message of hope and grace that no matter the brokenness or pain, God, in his love, is in the midst of it and is always at work to redeem and bring forth new life.
TIM AND JULIE CLINTON
Kasey articulately and convincingly helps us realize that God takes every part of our stories and uses them in ways we never could have imagined. Her words are like reading a letter from a dear friend. She will make you think, cry, and laugh, and point you to a God who loves us and offers redemption at every twist and turn life takes.
MELANIE SHANKLE, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER
Kaseys love for God is evident as she brings you on her journey. This book will encourage and challenge you to trust him with more than the pretty parts of your story. When it feels like everything is going wrong, remember that God says nothing is wasted.
JADA EDWARDS, WOMENS PASTOR; AUTHOR, THE CAPTIVE MIND
This book is an offering to Jesus. In it Kasey washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair and anoints them with oil, because she is compelled to express her love for the one who cant not love her. If you are willing to see yourself in Kasey and Justins story, your heart will be inspired to love him like crazy too.
DR. DAN MARSHALL (KASEY AND JUSTINS PASTOR), SENIOR PASTOR, FAITH BIBLE CHURCH
Simply powerful! Out of the ashes of all of our brokenness there is always forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and redemption. You want to get closer to God? Read this book. Then open your heart to your own brokenness so you too can be redeemed.
ALAN GRAHAM, FOUNDER/CEO, MOBILE LOAVES AND FISHES; AUTHOR, WELCOME HOME(LESS)
I know firsthand what it feels like to have a life that feels too wrong to be rescued, too broken to be healed. But I also know what it feels like to watch God do the impossible with it. Nothing is wasted, friend. If you need a word to help you hold on to that truth, Kasey Van Norman and her story are exactly what you need.
MICHELE CUSHATT, AUTHOR, RELENTLESS
Forgiving Kasey was the most difficult thing Ive ever had to do, yet in those dark days, the Holy Spirit called to my heart, To God be the glory! As crazy as it sounds, I would not change a single piece of our story. Kasey transparently shares the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our lives, including poor decisions, infidelity, forgiveness, and a cancer diagnosis. Trusting God in these heartwrenching moments has been difficult. Its hard to believe that people will actually read the intimate and vulnerable parts of our story, but how could we not share what God has done with and through us? I can truly say, no part of our story has been wasted. Thank you for letting us share it with you.
JUSTIN VAN NORMAN, KASEYS HUSBAND
ZONDERVAN
Nothing Wasted
Copyright 2019 by Kasey Van Norman
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Zondervan titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or promotional use. For information, please email SpecialMarkets@Zondervan.com.
ISBN 978-0-310-35716-2 (softcover)
ISBN 978-0-310-35733-9 (audio)
ISBN 978-0-310-35731-5 (ebook)
Epub Edition September 2019 9780310357315
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 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 NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The names and identifying characteristics of some of the individuals featured throughout this book have been changed to protect their privacy.
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.
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.
Published in association with literary agent Jenni Burke of D.C. Jacobson & Associates LLC, an Author Management Company. www.dcjacobson.com.
Cover design: Curt Diepenhorst
Cover illustration: iMacron / Shutterstock
Author photo: Philip Winham / @philipwinhamphoto
Interior design: Denise Froehlich
Printed in the United States of America
19 20 21 22 23 LSC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook
Please note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication
For those who think theyre
too boring or too broken
Contents
Guide
THE FOLLOWING NAMES SHOULD BE ON THE FRONT COVER:
Justin, thank you for loving me so irrationally and supernaturally that people will want to read about it. Thank you for loving Jesus more than me. Your confidence in Christ gives me permission to put this book out there. I adore you for living your whole life in the light. And fighting for me to do the same. I love you so much.
Emma Grace and Lake, you know most of this story, but not all of it. Id be nervous if it werent for the rock-solid Spirit God has given each of you to see and discern well beyond your years. Thank you for being two of my greatest champions. Every day I get to mama you is another day I get to do what I was born to do. I love you so much.
Tracy Singleton, I am calling you out because youre the friend who has never, ever given up on me. Thank you for standing by my side, even when Im wrong. Thank you for modeling the sweet spot of grace and justice where I want to live, and for teaching me so many of the lessons I write about here. I love you.