Bookstore - Providing Promise

Providing Promise: A Navy Widow’s Journey to Hope (by Kris Rystrom Emmert with Julie Voudrie)

I saw stripes going by my dining room windows. Naval stripes. Stripes on dress blues.

Why are naval officers coming to my house on a Friday morning while Jon is at sea? In an instant, time stopped.

Embark on a life-changing encounter as you journey through the remarkable life and death of an accomplished naval flight officer and his grieving widow’s path from unimaginable heartache to unstoppable hope. With captivating novel-like and highly accurate military scenes, excerpts of touching long-distance love letters, and raw, unfiltered emotions, Providing Promise isn’t just another memoir—it is a lifeline. Experience your own inner healing and uncover your God-given destiny as you walk alongside one who has seen firsthand how God can turn tragedy into triumph.

“I pray that my story of heartache to hope will inspire people to find answers to the hard questions in the midst of their suffering. God is faithful to walk with us through difficult circumstances. He provides promise for us and heals us by taking something unbelievably awful and turning it into something truly good.” —Kris Rystrom Emmert

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Endorsements

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“My faith has been strengthened by this story. Kris’s vivid imagery paints a riveting and compelling narrative that you just cannot pull away from. I cannot help but be inspired by this epic story of love, loss, redemption, and hope. I am looking forward to watching this on the big screen someday!”

—SOFIA J LYONS, Film Producer of The Long Goodbye: The Kara Tippetts Story

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“I could not put this book down. Kris Rystrom Emmert has painted an unforgettable journal of her journey through the death of her navy pilot husband, Jon Rystrom. This is her story of a wonderful marriage and devastating loss. But the story does not end there. Through this journey from tragedy to triumph, devastation to closure, has emerged one of the most incredible stories of deepest grief to eternal hope that can only be found through Jesus Christ. This story will capture your attention and emotions and will challenge you to see past disappointments and tragedies in life to the eternal comfort and grace of a deep faith in God. Read and be blessed. Believe and be transformed.”

—JIMMY DRAPER, President Emeritus of Lifeway

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“When the journey of grief is a road you must follow, remember that many have traveled that road before. Learn from their experience. Each journey is unique, but there are shared experiences that can help guide us along the way. Kris’s story began decades ago. Her story is a look into the deep recesses of grief. It is a captivating journey, compelling, truthful, and an incredible adventure from grief to hope. It is very instructive for those who are given the privilege to walk with someone in their journey of loss and grief. Read how God traveled with her and shaped the experience. Put Providing Promise on your reading list today!”

—CHAPLAIN DAVID MULLIS, USN (Ret.)

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“In the past several years, we have simultaneously seen an up-rising of recognition and respect for those who serve the rest of us, and a need for a genuine narrative of hope. Kris Rystrom Emmert’s book will knock the wind out of you on both accounts. This is the true story of two heroes; one who did not survive and the other who lived to tell. I believe it is a necessary legacy to share with the next generation. Make it a point to get a copy, gather your family, and experience this story of real American heroism, a mom who rose from the ashes and a new life built on promises that not even death could destroy.”

—JOANNA SANDERS, Author of Fire Women: Sexual Purity & Submission for the Passionate Woman

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“For anyone who has been devastated by the death of a loved one, this book will deliver the truth and encouragement everyone needs to hear while going through the grieving process. The author shares her journey from anguish to peace as she walks a lonely path after her husband’s death. Kris Rystrom Emmert shares her story of finding hope as she allows God to guide her through what seemed like an insurmountable mountain of grief. Providing Promise is a power-packed book that gives the reader an incredible true story of God’s promises of redemption and hope.”

—PENELOPE CARLEVATO, Award-winning author of Tea on the Titanic, First Class Etiquette, The Art of Afternoon Tea, and The Tea Lover’s Journal

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Kris will inspire you to trust God’s plan for your life, even when it looks nothing like what you expected. Through a tragic event that changed everything, Kris shares her journey and struggle with God in a vulnerable and honest way. Her story is a gift to anyone who has ever wondered, “Where are you Lord?”

—JENNY BUSHKELL, Christian Talk Radio Host, Crossroads With Jenny Bushkell

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“When I first heard Kris Rystrom Emmert speak, I was completely in awe of her and how she overcame life’s hardest hit. Her book, Providing Promise, tells her story of tragedy, fear, grief and her heroic efforts to pull her life together for her two daughters. Kris Rystrom Emmert is a strong, bold woman who took the biggest challenge and found that only her unwavering faith in God would see her through to the promises that He gives us all. If you get a chance to hear her speak, it is memorable and life changing as is her book, Providing Promise: A Navy Widows Journey to Hope.”

—JAMIE W. LEWIS, CRMC, RMM, General Sales Manager
WJBZ FM/ Praise 96.3, Knoxville Advertising Hall of Fame 2004, Recipient of the Robert McCabe Silver Medal Award 2019

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—JENNY BUSHKELL, Christian Talk Radio Host, Crossroads With Jenny Bushkell

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“I just finished the book Providing Promise. I started reading it, and it touched home so much I had to stop. See, in 2018 my oldest son Jacob was murdered on base at Fort Polk Louisiana. Something told me I had to finish this book, so I started at 7 pm yesterday evening and read it until 3 am this morning. I was on chapter 13 when I started breaks in between. I want to say thank you to Kris. Even though our losses are different—hers being her husband and mine being my son—the grieving, the anger, the sadness, the confusion, the unanswered questions, the not knowing, having no closure, no justice, my faith in God, my sadness with God, my wanting answers, my healing, my cries, my never, my firsts. This book touched on every level. I understood what Kris was saying. I could relate as if we were walking in the same shoes, simply different paths. I prayed for Jacob as he went to the army. I prayed Psalms 91 all the time. I now realize that prayer wasn’t for him—it was for me and what God was getting ready to bring me through. I know it’s been 25 years for Kris, and she is at peace. It has been almost a year for me, and I still struggle, but I know I will find peace one day. I thank Kris from the bottom of my heart and soul for writing this book—not just for herself but for all the other people in the world who are grieving whatever their last maybe. This isn’t just a ‘dead book’—it’s a book to make us alive again. ”

—BOBBI JO MALCOLM, Army Gold Star Mom