Hello, friends,
Iโm Kristin. My life has been a winding journey, marked by both trials and blessings. Iโm a twice-divorced wife, a proud mom of two beautiful daughters, and now โGrandmaโ to three precious grandchildren. I am now retired, but for or 44 years I walked beside others as a mental health therapist. Today my greatest joy is walking daily with Jesus.
I wasnโt always this close to Him. For many years, I would have called myself a lukewarm Christian. But then came 14 powerful spiritual encountersโincluding the miraculous healing of my visionโthat changed me forever. From that moment on, how could I not fall deeply in love with Him?
Now, in this new season of my life, I feel called to write and share the blessings Jesus has poured into me. My book, Benedictions Given to an Ordinary Woman, is my way of testifying to what God has done and continues to do in my life.
If youโre longing to know Jesus more deeply, I hope my story encourages you to open your Bible, spend time in prayer, and discover the love of a Savior who already loves you beyond measure.
From this ordinary woman to youโmay His blessings find you today.
Benedictions Given to an
Ordinary Woman
What do you do when the life youโve carefully built begins to crumble?
Kristin had dedicated herself to building a successful life. As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (retired), she invested deeply in her career, her marriage, her children, and her family. By all appearances, she was thrivingโliving the kind of life many people dream of.
But everything changed when her eyesight began to fail. Suddenly, the strong, capable woman who guided others through their struggles was facing her own devastating loss. In her brokenness, Kristin discovered what many of us resist: there comes a point when we canโt fix life on our own. We must surrender to something greater.
Through the prayers of others and her own reluctant yet courageous โyesโ to God, Kristin experienced a miraculous healing of her eyesight. But even more powerful than the restoration of her vision was the renewal of her faith. She learned to release her grip on the life she thought she needed, and to embrace the daily gift of Godโs love, mercy, and will.
This book is Kristinโs story of healing and awakeningโbut itโs also a story for all of us. With honesty and hope, she reminds us that surrender is not the end of our story, but the beginning of a new one. It is in letting go that we truly seeโand in seeing, we live.
Making a difference, one book at a time ~
Making a difference, one book at a time ~
International Christian Book Awards
๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ผ๐ช๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ: Kristin Gedstad - Author
๐ฝ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ is a heartfelt spiritual memoir that captures the deeply personal ways God reveals Himself in the midst of everyday life. Through moments of grief, emotional struggle, and unexpected encounters, the author shares how divine โbenedictionsโโblessings from Godโappear in both extraordinary and quiet ways.
From sitting beside a loved one in their final moments and sensing peace beyond understanding , to experiencing overwhelming stillness and comfort that can only be described as Godโs presence , each story reveals how heaven touches earth in deeply personal ways. The journey also explores inner battles like anxiety, depression, and uncertainty, showing how God gently leads, speaks, and restores through it all.
At its core, this book is about learning to recognize Godโs voice, trust His guidance, and embrace the truth that His love is constant.
Feeding South Dakota
When a Book Becomes a Gift
When I decided to publish Benedictions Given to an Ordinary Woman, I knew one thing from the beginning: I did not want to personally profit from the stories I had been given.
For 37 years, I kept the spiritual experiences I write about mostly to myself. They were deeply personal gifts that shaped my heart, my faith, and the way I understood Godโs presence in my ordinary life. Sharing them publicly in a book required courage, but it also gave me an opportunity to allow those gifts to become something more.
Before the book was published, I decided that every penny I received from its sales would go to Feeding South Dakota.
In June 2026, that dream became real when I wrote my first check for $1,000.
Every time the book account reaches another $1,000, I will send another check to Feeding South Dakota.
Perhaps that is one more benediction I never expected when I began writing these stories. The experiences God gave me so many years ago can now reach beyond the pages of a book and become a tangible way to care for someone else.
That makes sharing them feel even more worthwhile.
If you purchase Benedictions Given to an Ordinary Woman, thank you. You are becoming part of this story, too. Together, we can turn these pages into meals, care, and kindness for our neighbors throughout South Dakota.
"Benedictions Given To An Ordinary Woman" is a riveting account of the ways God tenderly and unmistakably meets us in our most ordinary days, our greatest challenges, and our deepest hungers. Kris Gedstad shares honestly and vulnerably, inviting us into her transformational experiences and providing openness for our own. From the healing of her eyesight to her presence beside her beloved Grandmother at heavenโs threshold, the yearning of friendships, the pain of marriages, this book points to Godโs love and presence continually at work โ a foundation of hope for these days of big questions and painful doubts.โ
*Rev. Arianne Braithwaite Lehn, PCUSA pastor, artist, and author of Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life
Kristin Gedstad is first of all sincere. Having experienced joy and heartache in her own life filled with 2 marriages and 2 divorces, she also has children and grandchildren. She comes from a farm family with the stereotypical hard-working, honest, ethical and genuine concern for the well-being of others. She now lives life as a single-woman and is joyfilled as she has fallen in love with Jesus.
*Jean Bearden, BA, Director of Womenโs Ministries and subsequently on the Senior Leadership Team of a large church over 20 years.
Kristin Gedstad spent 44 years providing psychotherapy, and in that role she encountered every kind of problem and painful experiences her clients brought. Even though she describes herself as an โordinary woman,โ she clearly has a history of extraordinary experiences, both professionally and personally. This book is about her personal experiences, but the thoughtful reader will see her wisdom and professional knowledge emerge between the lines.
*Dr. Doug Anderson, PsyD, in Clinical Psychology, MA in Clinical Psychology, MA in Counseling, MDiv.
โBenedictions Given to an Ordinary Woman is a rare and beautiful memoir, written by a seasoned therapist who knows suffering from both sides of the chair. Kristin Gedstad, LPC, writes with the insight of a clinician and the soul of a seeker. As a fellow Licensed Professional Counselor, I was deeply moved by how she integrates faith, loss, mental health, and moments of divine encounter with stunning vulnerability and grace. This book doesnโt just tell a story - it offers healing. Each chapter reads like a sacred reflection reminding readers that God meets us in the quiet, the heartbreaking, and the mystery. A powerful read for anyone navigating pain, faith, or the long road back to themselves."
*Jennifer Beasley, LPC, (Licensed Professional Counselor,)
Hope*Writers Author and Certified Writing Coach.