Robin Jones Gunn - Spoken For: Embracing Who You Are and Whose You Are

Praise for
Spoken For

Spoken For is the kind of book every Christian teenage girl wants to read: a perfect mixture of truth and love story and Jesus and humor. Robin and Alyssa have practically written the handbook for every young woman looking to understand how God feels about them.

A NNIE D OWNS , author of Speak Love

Spoken For is filled with life-changing truths that will help you discover, strengthen, or reclaim your true identity. This book will teach you how to embrace the person God has created you to be a must-read for every young woman who longs to know her true value, beauty, and purpose.

A LLIE M ARIE S MITH , founder of Wonderfully Made

I highly recommend this relevant and essential book to any young woman trying to understand romantic relationships, navigating her way through the dating world, or even considering marriage. Robin and Alyssa are candid, thoughtful, and wise as they share personal stories and universal truths. A great tool for mothers and daughters, book clubs, and youth groups.

M ELODY C ARLSON , author of the TrueColors series

Robin and Alyssa have delivered such a timely and beautiful truth in this book! As daughters of the King, we are loved to the core by the One who will never leave or fail us. We are never forgotten, pushed aside, or up for anyones taking, but we are covered and pursued by Jesus.

R EBEKAH L YONS , author of Freefall to Fly

Alyssa and Robin have written a book that is so tender and true, full of encouragement for all of us as we try to understand the love of the Savior. You will walk away from this book changed for the better and celebrating the fact that you are truly loved by the One who knows you best, the One who created you with a plan and a purpose.

M ELANIE S HANKLE , New York Times best-selling author of Sparkly Green Earrings

What makes Spoken For unique is the authors ability to internalize and understand that we are in the midst of a divine love story! Alyssa and Robin casually and eloquently remind us not only of who we are but whose we are and that we are wanted, loved, and spoken for.

B IANCA O LTHOFF , speaker, teacher, and chief storyteller for the antihuman trafficking organization The A21 Campaign

In Spoken For, Robins and Alyssas gentle honesty and personal stories made me feel as if we were out having coffee together and talking about our love for the Lord. This book is a perfect reminder of how great his love is for us and how sweetly he cares for us.

E RYNN M ANGUM , author of Paige Torn

Anytime two unique voices come together with a unified message, there is power in it. Robin and Alyssa have different perspectives and life stages, but both have experienced Gods relentless love and now want to give it away. Spoken For will help you remember your infinite worth because of Jesus Christ and what potential abounds if you will only embrace it.

J ENNIE A LLEN , founder of the IF:Gathering and author of Restless

S POKEN FOR
P UBLISHED BY MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( TLB ) are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked ( NET ) are taken from the NET Bible, copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press LLC, www.bible.org. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NI r V ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version. NIV. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked ( NKJV ) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Trade Paperback ISBN 978-1-60142-597-3
eBook ISBN 978-1-60142-598-0

Copyright 2014 by Robins Nest Productions Inc. and Alyssa Joy Bethke

Cover design by Mark D. Ford; photography by Benj Haisch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, New York, a Penguin Random House Company.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gunn, Robin Jones, 1955
Spoken for : embracing who you are and whose you are / Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke. First Edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60142-597-3 ISBN 978-1-60142-598-0 (electronic) 1. Identity (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 2. God (Christianity)Love. 3. Gunn, Robin Jones, 1955- 4. Bethke, Alyssa Joy. I. Bethke, Alyssa Joy. II. Title.
BV4509.5.G83 2014
248.4dc23

2013045130

v3.1_r1

From Robin:
To all my nieces: Amanda, Ashley, Alyssa, Katherine,
Hannah, Karen, Susi, Gabi, and Sami.
May you always remember who you are
and whose you are.
You are deeply loved by the One who created you,
more than you will ever know.

From Alyssa:
To Jeff: Thank you for showing me
how God is the Relentless Lover
through your unending and gracious love.

To my mentors: Mom, Amy, Dani, Robin, Jill, and Jeri.
Thank you for teaching and showing me that we are spoken for
and that his love is truly the greatest of all.

One bright April morning Alyssa and I (Robin) were busy in my kitchen preparing food for a youth event at church. All the windows were open. A gentle breeze cooled us. The television was on in the background, but we werent paying much attention. I reached for the remote to turn it off but accidentally changed the channel.