Have you met Jeanette? She’s been a regular, show-stealing part of Living Out days over the years, shares her incredible story on our website, and has been a memorable guest on our podcast. Her involvement in this sort of ministry predates us all, and she has been a constant source of encouragement, wisdom and banter since the very beginning.
In recent years she’s been writing her latest book, Betrothed: Wooed By a Greater Love, which was launched recently. She asked me to write a foreword and here it is, with the hope that it will encourage you to get to know her better through reading the whole book.
I love Jeanette Howard. I love her friendship, laugh, stories, honesty, care for other people (and animals), wisdom, perseverance – I could go on and on. But, most of all, I love her life’s work: to help herself, and others, really know how much we are loved and cared for by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
It’s hard to describe what follows in this unique book, one that could only have been written by her!
At one level it is an autobiographical account – Jeanette’s own story of the journey God has taken her on. As ever, she is wonderfully honest about her experiences of gender dysphoria and same-sex attraction in ways that will comfort and help those who face similar struggles in their own lives.
It can also be read as a discipleship manual – Jeanette helping all Christians grasp what it is to be those waiting for our bridegroom, Jesus, to come and take us home. Her exploration of Song of Songs, her explanation of ancient Jewish weddings, will help every believer make more sense of our lives today, as we long for our wedding day.
But I wonder whether it will best be experienced as a series of meditations – Jeanette sharing what the Holy Spirit has taught her through God’s Word, her life, the wisdom of others and allowing us to share in the benefits. You might most learn from this book if you read it very slowly and give good amounts of time for the Holy Spirit to connect its truths to your life.
By the end you will love Jeanette Howard too. But, more importantly, you will better know how much we are loved and cared for by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You can get Betrothed on Kindle here. Paperback and audiobook versions will be available soon on the same page.
