If you had told me even a year ago I would be writing about Kanye West – and favorably – I would’ve suggested you might ask your doctor about an antipsychotic medication. Yet here we are.

This man who was first exposed to pornography at the age of five, who married a beautiful woman whose first claim to fame was a viral sex tape, who interrupted the VMAs to grab Taylor Swift’s award and claim it should go to Beyoncé (I believe Ms. Swift wrote Bad Blood sometime after that.), the rapper/singer whose preferred lyrics were less than noble – this man – is holding worship services that attract thousands – hundreds of thousands and no doubt more, thanks to the internet – who hear the gospel from . . . this man. Waaat?!

To add to God’s sense of humor while we learn our lessons, just as I started writing about this, my computer crashed. I don’t know if that’s the correct term. One day it was working and the next day it wasn’t. I took it to a big box techie place, they diagnosed a motherboard problem, and strongly suggested I buy a new computer. I went home to ponder the situation (i.e. wish things were different and talk it over with my husband).

You see, at the moment the computer decided life was no longer worth living, I was tearing up the bathroom linoleum. That was prompted by an appointment I’d made to

have the living room floor refinished (nearly 30 years of 4 kids and 2 dogs running, playing, and jumping – or, as some would describe it: life, lead to less than stellar floors). Actually, they were pretty awful, especially the one spot that got the most traffic and dog drool. So one project which led to another project blossomed – like a prickly thistle you step on barefoot – into an unwanted third project; a project that lasted nearly a month, I kid you not.

Oh, it didn’t stop there. Once we’d moved the furniture out of the living room, and, believe me, two bookcases complete with books is no small task; after numerous trips to the big box techie store, then phone convos and 2 follow-up trips to an independent computer guy; after installing vinyl flooring (it took an entire week – don’t ask); and, finally, admiring the finished floors, I came to one conclusion. The walls looked dingy.

This brings me back to Kanye West. He and I are worlds apart, but now we are brother and sister in Christ. I am inspired with how he has hit the ground running! He actually puts me to shame, and it hit home hard when I lost use of the computer I should be writing on every day. Computer problems are, for me, like spending a pitch-black night alone in a cemetery is for others. And God slammed me to the wall when I didn’t have the opportunity to do what I should have been doing all along. Is any of this familiar to you?

And I suppose Kanye is discovering, as Christians the world over daily find, that who we thought we were isn’t nearly who we really are. And God, in his kindness, peels back the layers bit by bit. We need a sanding machine here and there and, yes, it can be painful. And we’re delighted to find how wonderfully He is making us over. Until we look a little closer. One project is done only to find how dreadful we are in another area; a part of us that looked perfectly fine before.

I hopefully predict more folks will realize that being washed in the blood of Jesus is more purifying than anything they’ve ever dreamed of. And many of these people will have histories and names few have contemplated would wear the name Christian; but everybody needs Jesus.

I wish Kanye and all new Christians everywhere the best. Read your Bible, pray, go to church. These three things are the Christian healthy food/workout routine with a proven track record. And when someone who you never dreamed would come to Jesus makes a 180, forget and forgive the junk that is being sanded down. Even be a little sympathetic. After all, your walls look like they need a little attention.