Nothing Wasted: God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn’t

by Kasey Van Norman

We all have past experiences we wish we could redo or undo altogether. In Nothing Wasted , counselor and teacher Kasey Van Norman's vulnerability invites you to discover God's personal and purposeful design for your future--not in spite of your story, but through it. What if the pain and mistakes of your past are exactly what God wants to use to redeem your future? A difficult childhood, public infidelity, and a fight with cancer--Kasey Van Norman has walked a rocky road of regret and loss. Shockingly, God would take her back to move her forward, uprooting her undealt-with wounds, secret shame, and intimacy-sabotaging patterns of behavior. No longer running from her past, but instead, allowing herself to be defined by it, Kasey discovered a God more intentional and loving than she'd ever believed him to be. In this book, she shares the truth that no part of our life story is wasted--but purposefully designed and used by God to shape who we are meant to be. With vulnerability, sound doctrine, and humor, Kasey unfolds the brokenness in her own life No experience or relationship has been a mistake. You are no mere byproduct of random events, and you do not need a do-over! Because with God, nothing is wasted. Also video study and study guide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Non Fiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Christian Living, Inspirational

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2019

About the author

Kasey Van Norman is the founder and President of Kasey Van Norman Ministries in College Station, Texas. Kasey is a certified counselor with a masters degree in community counseling. She holds undergraduate degrees in both psychology and speech communication, and is currently earning a masters of religion in Biblical studies from Liberty University. Kasey was born and raised in deep East Texas, and currently resides in College Station, Texas with her husband, Justin, and their two young children; Emma Grace and Lake.

Reviews

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of incredibly honest, raw stories about the author's struggles and how she has seen God redeem them. She is a vivid storyteller with a gift for choosing the right sensory and emotional details to make an anecdote stick, and because she is as a counselor, the stories are also rich with details and explanations about the effects of trauma. I was interested to learn more about how her background had influenced her worldview, relationship with God, and decision-making, but even though the book was valuable to me from this perspective, I had a hard time with the format.

This book is a grab-bag of stories and biblical exposition, and some aspects hit home better than others. Each chapter ends with a take-away Christian truth, but some of these seem tacked-on and irrelevant to the main content of what she was writing. Also, she often starts a story, veers off into a detailed breakdown of different Scripture passages, and then moves on to another anecdote without resolving the first one. This got very disorienting at times, and I also questioned her judgment in sharing some of the stories that she did.

Although I appreciate how raw and honest she was about her own life and feelings, some stories involved other people in major, unflattering ways. She sometimes even referred to people by their full names, and even though I hope and trust that she used pseudonyms, I never saw a disclaimer that confirmed that she had changed people's names. Also, some of the stories had only tenuous connections to the points that she was trying to make, and looked like they were only in there for shock and entertainment value. Why tell the world about your husband's naked sleep-walking on your honeymoon when there isn't even a point to this??

This book has a lot of value, so I wouldn't actively discourage anyone from reading it if they wanted to, but I wouldn't recommend it, either. It's a hit-or-miss book that shares more stories than necessary and often doesn't integrate the memoir sections with the spiritual truths she intends to convey. Parts of the book are stronger than others, but overall, it reads like a jarring mash-up between an expository Bible study and a tell-all memoir. The two elements don't mesh nearly as well as she intended, and even though I learned a lot from her stories and feel grateful that I read this, this book is not a finished, polished project. Perhaps that was never the author's intent, since she is grappling with the messiness of life, but I wish that she had rewritten and reevaluated parts of the book before releasing it to the public.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasey bares her heart on the page in such a compelling way that I couldn’t put the book down. I’m an avid reader, but I read fiction. Me finishing this nonfiction book is testimony to how good it is. I love the picture she paints of God using every mistake in our lives for His glory. She backs it up with scripture and her extensive counseling background has her adding in some science I didn’t expect. I needed to read this book and I didn’t even know it. It’s powerful and moving and will inspire you to live the life God has called you to. No matter your past. He intends to use it. One of my favorite quotes, “God doesn’t waste our lives. He designs them on purpose, for purpose.”
I received an advance copy from the publisher and this my honest review.

[Megan Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

""Our reserves of forgiveness overflow from the assurance that God has also forgiven us. And this gift traumatizes us with the reality that everything really can be forgiven."" -Kasey Van Norman, Nothing Wasted

Kasey's book is full of good laughs, good cries, but mostly full of God's good, sweet forgiveness and grace. We will never know the depth of the love the Lord has for us. Kasey's story is a testament of how the Lord uses our circumstances and our mistakes for His glory; for His story, not our own. I am blown away by the love, forgiveness, and support Kasey has experienced through her husband and the Lord. Praise the Lord for how God used her mistakes to radically change her heart and her mind.

If you are looking for a book that SCREAMS forgiveness and grace, this is the book for you! "

[Carol Frear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hard to read without getting inside the deepest hurts of our past, and finally letting God in. When that wall comes down, page by page, He will reveal just how powerful He is to do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20, emphasis mine). Kasey’s testimony throughout this heartbreaking book, is a true example how God truly wastes NOTHING to restore us!

[Paula Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. I needed this book and didn’t know it! It’s captivating in that I was obsessed with finishing. The grit and hard lessons, Kasey bares her shame and soul to us and we can all relate. Seriously, I can’t say enough praise for this book.

[Kay-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van Norman has an important story of God's love for us and his plan to use everything that happens in our lives for our good. It is a difficult idea to face when you've experienced unjust grief. But it can really help to see God as a loving father in spite of the pain.

She doesn't sugar coat what she's been through which I appreciate, however... It's a bit sensationalised. She writes in a way that almost glorifies her bad decisions and amplifies her sexiness in the mind of the reader. I feel that this message is important but I can not, with a clear conscience, suggest this book to a young girl that I care about, and certainly not to a male.

It's unfortunate.

I also find some of her Bible extrapolations a bit iffy.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nothing Wasted" did not disappoint! Kasey is an amazing Bible teacher and through her book, she points everything back to Jesus. In this book, she is teaching how we can do that too! In our life, nothing is wasted...ever. Kasey addresses tough questions and situations and makes certain that we can find Jesus in it all, no matter how tough, ugly or bad the experience.
Because of Kasey's transparency in her life, and the way she relates her story and the Bible stories together we can all grow closer to God. If you want to know God better, grow closer to God, or go deeper with God this book will certainly help you accomplish that goal. Through Kasey's life and all of our own, we face things we never expected but, God, and only God will make a beautiful masterpiece of us and our situation if we allow Him. "

[Lacey Mcneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are those books, you know the ones. You think the cover is pretty, or the title is catchy... then you get home and comfy in bed, start to read, and think, "Why did I buy this?". Well, not this book. Kasey Van Norman has such authenticity in her words and in her story that it will grip you to the very core. Trust me when I say this book is one that you will not regret investing in. I honestly cannot think of another book that has captivated my heart and spoken truth to the places I did not even know needed speaking to, like this one.

Kasey's story is no doubt a hard one to take in, but the realness of her courage in sharing it is a true testament to God's overwhelming love and grace. Her gentleness at times to the sensitive subjects so many of us endure as victims, to the hard truths spoken in love to the areas of our lives that we hide from others out of shame or regret, leave me feeling that I can tell the world my story and give all the glory to God. He indeed wastes NOTHING and uses every detail of our lives to glorify Him.

If you have ever doubted God's goodness or questioned His love for you, I implore you, go read this book!

[Cassandra Gay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have known of Kasey for quite sometime. Reading her first book and now to this one.. it’s been neat to see things come full circle.

Having her on my podcast I knew I needed this book. Though my struggles have been different they common factor was finally realizing that nothing is wasted for God. He will use every single part of our story for His greater purpose.

This book is needed in this day and age, we as women need to rise up and encourage each other and here is a great start.

Get this book today!

[Robin Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What a blessing! Kasey beautifully weaves her story of healing and redemption into one that applies to each and every one of us. Nothing is wasted. Not one trial. Not one tear. Not one victory. EVERYthing is woven together to make our own personal story. That is woven together to be part of God’s story and to bring HIM glory. “God doesn’t waste our lives. He designs them on purpose, for purpose.” Kasey gives readers an honest and vulnerable peak into her struggles, allows us the ability to insert our own struggles and fears, and ride with her on the journey to healing. The journey to becoming whole. The journey of living more fully in step with God’s plan today than we did yesterday.

Read and savor this book! Share it with your friends. You and they will be blessed!"

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasey has a way of speaking to the heart of the reader. She opens up her story and her heart to help readers also look at their own stories to find healing. I was part of the launch team and read this book in one sitting. Be sure and buy this book and you will be free also.

Kasey is the best and loves all from the depths of her heart.

[Jerrica Navarro-De La Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say this is the first book in awhile that I could not put down. I loved Kasey's honesty and grit throughout the book. It truly captures her heart and her process of realization, healing, forgiveness and transformation. I know that we all can struggle with our past, our mistakes, our hurts but its our "response" to those things that is what truly defines us. We want a true and authentic relationship with God and sometimes we find that at our worst times. One of my favorite quotes in the books is "God doesn't just want us to be just healed, just redeemed, just saved, obedient, faithful, He wants us to be whole!" and this is very true! We want to be found whole in HIM! #nothingwastedbook is one you want to read! <3

[Ymh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am writing this review with the disclaimer that I have not finished the book and will probably not finish it. I read it along with the workbook. It is difficult for me to relate to the book. I think the book would be helpful for people who share some of the author's experiences. I hoped to see more described at the end of each chapter on how God used or didn't waste the experiences she wrote about in each chapter. Perhaps she ties it up at the end of the book.

[Susan Mather Barone · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may have seen quotes like this floating around on the Internet: "Your past doesn't define you," "Your past doesn't define your future," and so on. The positive message conveyed, at least to me, is that who I was in the past doesn't have the final say in who I am becoming. I'm to forget the past and stop dwelling on it or living in it. The past is seen in the negative.
But in "Nothing Wasted: God Uses The Stuff You Wouldn't," Kasey Van Norman wrote about how the past defines us. She shared the painful events God used to make her into the person He predestined her to become. Her past became the “raw material."
The book plunged me headfirst into the deep end of Kasey's past, starting at the end of an affair between her and her best friend’s husband, Ty. She remembered the click and dial tone when they hung up the phone. Later, she used this same ending, a click and dial tone, for another terrifying and pivotal moment in her journey. Both showed how God's hand was guiding still, even in the worst moments and darkest times in her life.
Kasey provided the backstory about how she and husband Justin first met Rachel and Ty in their young newlyweds’ church group. They became close friends and had their children around the same time. They became spiritual “rock stars” in their church and were called upon to serve in leadership roles. Her husband and Ty were also leaders in their work life and community in East Texas. Satan prowled around them “like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The affair last three years. Rachel had seen the texts between them, and the truth was out. Kasey’s husband Justin forgave her, and together they walked through a deep valley.
Despite repenting and coming clean, Kasey faced isolation and abandonment from some of her church family. Justin and their children were shunned as well. People acted like they were tainted, like their "stank" would rub off on them. Church leaders seemed more interested in how they could allow the two couples to stay a part of the congregation. They were worried about appearances and weren't thinking about where their "dream team" would go from here. I guess they thought all was lost. It wasn't lost on me that her church must have had people leading them who didn't understand about repentance, forgiveness, God's mercy and grace.
On top of that, people sent her letters and emails telling her how far she’d fallen in their eyes. They dropped her as a friend. They continued to hold the perceived stench of her sin up to her nose. And I grew more and more angry, and then I worried for them. I know from experience what happens when you judge others. Remember the roaring lion? He's still on the prowl. How about the fingers pointing at you when you point your finger at someone else's sin? No one is immune. Kasey said that even now some think the person who sinned should never have success or fellowship again. Thank goodness, that's the opposite of what God wants for us once we come to Him in repentance.
Kasey's broken road was difficult to read at times. She lived through her parents’ divorce, the trauma of her father’s alcoholic rages, and an angelic intervention when she considered suicide. She was sexually assault and raped, first as a young girl and later in college.
I was so angry at those who committed these acts against her I wanted them to pay. I told Denise, who is heading up this study in my small group, how mad I was, and she told me to keep reading. (She had read this book in two days. The story grabs you!) Kasey wrote her story so well that I would finish a chapter and think, "What happened next?" I gave my husband an update usually after reading multiple chapters, so he was hooked, too.
This is the second book I’ve read and studied in our small group where I thought: “As a writer, I don’t know if I've ever truly unveiled all my past for the world to see.” These inspirational writers share secrets knowing how people have the tendency to be cruel and to condemn others for things they think they would never do. But I'm drawn to these writers. They speak into my own life, and I've learned so much from them. The greater the pain in a person’s life, the greater the failure or fall, the greater God’s grace, His mercy and love are on display in that person's life.
"God is using the best and worst parts of us to make us whole," Kasey said. "He doesn't just want our lives to be happy, peaceful, or blessed. It's better than that. He wants our lives to be full -- mind, body, and soul all working together to choose His love more often, and faster than we did the first time around" (63).
My group has been following along in the "Nothing Wasted" study guide. I recommend it for the insights, just don't beat yourself up if you can't answer some of the questions like I did. lol

[Emily P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes we feel that our lives have come to a place where we're sure nothing good can come out of what's been thrown at us. Author Kasey Van Norman shares her heart in the most honest way in "Nothing Wasted: God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn't."

I have read some of Kasey's earlier work, but "Nothing Wasted" comes from a personal, gritty place and doesn't sugar coat her challenges. She highlights past struggles and family issues that she walked through and survived--able to see God's provision, direction and restoration of things she knew were missteps or tragedies. While we often focus on all that's gone wrong (sometimes due to choices of our own, sometimes not), God is focusing on how He can use the "raw materials for the new thing He is building."

Van Norman writes in a way that is at once overwhelming in its vulnerability while still allowing the reader to see aspects of the book in their own lives. It's like Van Norman is a tour guide, leading us through her mess into the beautiful place God has turned it into. She's open, humbled by her challenges and allows the reader to decide for themselves how best to accept God's renovations in their situation.

Van Norman also delves into her childhood and upbringing to find possible reasons for choices she made later in life. We can forget that our formative years also set the stage for how we handle things like conflict, poverty and acceptance of others in our later lives.

While "Nothing Wasted" is a difficult read for many reasons, it is also one that offers the salve of what God can do when we bring our broken pieces to Him. Van Norman is an amazing speaker and teacher whom I have had the opportunity to hear speak before, and this book, while dealing with tough issues, can certainly move others towards seeking healing and help. Let's not whitewash our trials or struggles, let's face them, find new hope and continue to change for the better.

Here's another favorite quote: "God knows that the closer we are to Him, the closer we are to who we're meant to be. He proves this over and over inside our stories, in our ever-changing scenes and settings, with all of our heroes and villains, through our comedic blunders, and in our climactic events."

I am thankful for being able to read this book early. It was affecting and heartwrenching, but worth the read. "Not Wasted" is also set to have a companion Bible study very soon, too. I am excited to get my copy in my hands!

I was an early reader, thanks to the Zondervan. All opinions are my own and I chose to leave a review.

[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What words do I have for this?

Throughout the last couple of years, I've been trying to find meaning in the hard things I've walked through. I know, up to a certain point, every hard thing I've ever walked through has meaning and purpose. And further down the road, I often see those experiences prepared me to help someone else in some specific way connected that I only could've learned in those hard situations. Or maybe those hard things just molded me into something better.
But some things are so hideous that I struggle to find any good or beauty in that rubble.

Kasey's story was a wild ride and it took all kinds of twists and turns that I didn't expect. The way she describing believing in God versus believing Him gave me so much to think about. I've been there, where I thought I believed Him, but really I just believed in Him. Her talking about healthy isolation after exposure of our sin and where it crosses over into unhealthy isolation — I thought that was helpful to know as well. She said we needed to often isolate after something like that. To get right with God. To stop trying to lead the sick while we ourselves are sick. To understand what we've truly done against God and man. And to lean on Him alone. That is what He wants. This piece of guidance is essential — when we are crushed by the weight of our sin, we must find solace in Him. When we are bruised by circumstances, it is okay to hide under the wings of the Most High.

This is one of those books that while it is the author telling her story, for me, it also felt like it doubled as therapy. Her laying out how God used a terrible mess to help heal her and help her truly know him was inspiring. I started this book while on vacation, read for about an hour, and then when I came back home, I spent almost the entire day finishing the rest of it. It just was a really good book.

Content wise, there is plenty of talk about sex, puberty, body changes throughout life. Rape and the aftermath of that are also discussed. Drug use and overdosing, cancer, death. One swear word. Trauma from/concerning parents is also mentioned a lot. There are a lot of heavy topics in this book and some of the things mentioned are pretty detailed.

[Delisa Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book does not prepare you for the contents. It is an emotional and spiritual journey, It’s Kasey Van Norman’s story. Her story is a tumultuous journey to find authentic love. The amazing discovery is the One who created her is the One who showed her what authentic love was. What I found early in reading the book was my story is a similar journey.
The book is honest, open, transparent and sometimes too real for this book to be a quiet afternoon read. It is full of heart ache, suffering and anger that through the grace of God and the love of a husband who trusted God came to the climax of finding the authentic love she desperately wanted.
Kasey’s attempts to find this love outside of what God offers are the places most have gone to or are still going to, to find authentic love. Addictions, an affair and even religion do not soothe the woundedness she feels.
For me, the climax, the part that gave me the most hope in reading this book, was the story of when the affair had become public and Kasey was not sure what to do or if she wanted to end the affair. She and her husband were face to face and in their woundedness, both confessed they weren’t sure what love was. Then the husband says, “I don’t know how not to love you.”
That is when Kasey heard what would become this book. God did not know how to not love her, and her husband was the instrument He used to tell her and show her.
Then all the “stuff” from her past was redeemed and God put her on a path to share the truths in her book with others, so they would know that with the Father, Nothing Wasted.
I am on the book launch team.

[Vanessa Loewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘God rightly knows what we so often questions, His process is the point.’ This book gave my highlighter a workout with truths like this gem and resonated with my soul! Kasey is a masterful story teller – raw, riveting, relatable, brave and smart! She unpacks her own personal journey so vividly – the good, the bad & the ugly – no hold barred; all for the benefit of those of us looking on, to helps us understand how God has shaped her life and left nothing within her journey void of purpose. What hope she brings readers as she shifts the focus from her story to remind us of God’s character and the grace, love, acceptance, guidance and purpose He has for our own personal story!
So often it felt as though Kasey was speaking directly to me, and at other times, it felt as though she was reading an excerpt from the pages of my journal - her insights and love for Jesus totally blessed my heart! If you’re looking for a gripping read about how God can redeem beauty from ashes; this is a must-read! Just don’t forget the Kleenex!

[Lisa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated going with 3 stars because I could tell something about the book simply wasn’t gelling with me. Van Norman’s main point, that God doesn’t waste any of our life experiences, is valid and I agree with her. The book alternates between her story and the biblical points she is making. I found myself wanting more of her story, or maybe more of the elements of her story used in the Scriptural portions. I guess I was supposed to figure out the connections on my own.

Van Norman’s descriptions of Rachel and Justin made me uncomfortable. She seemed to cast them as the sweet people who had moved through life with nary a bump in the road, contrasting them with her own life filled with traumatic experiences. She wears her trauma as a badge of honor - which is fine. But that doesn’t mean that Rachel and/or Justin don’t have buried trauma too. It’s so easy to look at those around you who seem to have the perfect life and envy them. No one has the perfect life.

I’m sure this book will, by the Lord’s power, get into the hands of those who need it.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book has been a real eye opener for me. The first chapter alone had me in tears. I too had found myself in bad situations for far too long. I knew I didn't do so out of fear of judgement if people knew how badly I'd messed up. I saw that I was not alone when trying to keep up appearances.

In chapter one Kasey brought up how Satan's original question makes us doubt God's directions. And we start thinking of all the maybe's and this is where we are led by the flesh. We start looking for all the reasons to support our bad choice. And then we feel trapped. I must say, this book will make you feel like your talking to a friend. A friend that tells you that in everything you've done and come through, God is there and loves you. We simply have to learn to trust Him. I am truly thankful this book has been written. I will read it over and over again, there are so many great nuggets!

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you willing to share the most intimate parts of your story in order for God to change someone's life? I honestly don't believe I am brave enough to do so on a large platform, but that is exactly what Kasey van Norman has done in #NothingWastedBook. Kasey and Justin's story is raw, but Kasey wants you, the reader, to know that "God doesn't know how NOT to love you."

Do you think God has written you off as a lost cause? It is simply not so!! His love for each of us goes far beyond our human minds can comprehend, and Kasey teaches us that God will take the messy parts of our lives (often those things we wish we could undo) and use them....to help others realize they are not alone, to grow closer to Him, and to begin to grasp the depth of His unconditional love for us.

If you are looking for a book that will captivate you, this is the book for you!

[Kristin Vanderveer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent story of hope and redemption! Kasey unfolds deep, personal parts of her life, showing how God uses every single experience to make us who we are today. Her vulnerability leads you in the ups and downs of her life, ultimately landing in the arms of Jesus and finding an abundance of grace and love. She is real, raw, humble, and honest (with a little side of sass), sharing parts of her life that most of us would be hiding. She shares in a way that is relatable, and gives hope of the freedom found in Jesus. I think you will find that by hearing what Kasey has learned in life, you too can find confidence in Jesus and know that every part of your own story is being used by a God who loves you deeply.

[Nickie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing read and had my attention from the very beginning! Kasey has a gift for sharing her personal experiences in such a transparent way, you feel her pain and start to see things you have been burying for so long in your own life. God is truly using her to help us see forgiveness, redemption and grace! I did not know that I needed to read this book, but boy did I need it! Thank you Kasey for sharing your story. My story is different but similar in so many ways. Through your words, God has shown me places in my life that I have been harboring resentment and anger that I did not even realize I had held on to. Great book... Thank you for pouring out your heart and allowing God to work through you!

[Stephanie Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

"God does not waste our traumas. He uses them to overwhelm us into grace."-Kasey Van Norman. Nothing Wasted is absolutely right!
Have you ever read something or heard someone speaking and feel like they had just reached into the innermost sacred places in your heart? That is exactly how I felt as I started reading. It was like so many of my innermost thoughts were right there in black and white, like the thoughts and emotions were plucked right out of my body and put in this book. I am so extremely grateful for Kasey’s amazingly honest beautiful brave heart and her ability to share it with us all. True freedom comes with the healing balm of God’s love. Love that He is freely giving if you are willing to accept it.

[Charlotte Doucett · Rating 5 out of 5]

“God doesn’t waste the wounds we’ve buried. He orchestrates events to resurface them for healing.” - Kasey Van Norman

Kasey bares all to demonstrate that we simply are not powerful enough to derail God’s plans for our lives. Our choices and circumstances may take us on journeys that seem so far off course that we can never get back on track. Sometimes we must revisit old hurts repeatedly to see the road ahead of us clearly. Just like any good adventure, God can join those wayward paths to the one we are destined for and create a beautiful scene far beyond our wildest dreams. He is a God of restoration and peace. Absolutely nothing is wasted. Join Kasey as she masterfully ties her own journey of restoration and redemption to God’s promises.

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany]

"He (Jesus) is not here to condemn you. He is here to enjoy a relationship with you. He doesn't need you, he wants you, simply because he's never known how not to love you."

Wow, just wow!! This book blew my mind!! I have read numerous Christian books, and I thought this would be along the same lines as those. Boy was I wrong!! Kasey does not sugar coat anything, does not act like she is perfect, does not come across as condescending in anyway. I don't think I have read a Christian author as real, honest or raw as Kasey. This book is a reminder that no matter what you have done in the past, are currently doing in the present, or might come across in the future, God loves you and you will always be forgiven!! And that through all of your life experiences, nothing is wasted!

[Kimberly Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Her story was compelling, heartbreaking, and so redemptive. The last few chapters were incredible.

This book bears the same name as my book, and I loved so many things that she did with the title. She proved over and over, and especially at the end with her “domino” theory, that nothing is wasted. It’s so so cool.

I want to get to know this author more because God has done so much in her life, and shown her grace that was beautiful to read about.

Two books that are in the same story line as this one that I have read this year: Redeeming Love and How to Stay Married.

[Joanie Wolfe]

Reading the book Nothing Wasted came at a perfect time for me. Kasey sharing her story in such an open and honest way really helped me to put my life experiences into perspective and see that everything that has happened in my life does have meaning and purpose and it will be used for God’s glory. Life is hard and Nothing Wasted helped me to see how even the joyful and painful life experiences they will all be used to weave together the life God has planned for me. God uses it all. As it says on the cover of the book, Nothing Wasted God uses the stuff you wouldn’t.

[Kim Dyess · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! Not sure how many times you have to "meet" someone to call them a friend...but I consider Kasey a friend of mine and can't wait for everyone to meet her and see her heart for God and for others to see their stories through His eyes. What a powerful book on how God can use everything from your past to show others how marvelous He is. After reading this book I am so excited to see how God will use my story to help others. Thank you Kasey and Justin for being so open and honest. A beautiful book.

[Kate Lendley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this book? I saw so much of myself in Kasey’s story. While our stories are not identical, there are parts that are similar and As I read this book, I felt like we were sharing our stories with one another over coffee. I am still processing what God wants me to take away from this book but I know I read it at just the right time and the change that is occurring in me will alter the course of the rest of my life.

Kasey, thank you for being raw and honest and thank you for going first. Now, it is my turn.