The Violin Maker

I'm reading The Violin Maker by John Marchese. There's a quote in the book from You Can Make a Stradivarius Violin by Joseph Reid. "Violin making is one of the most noble crafts of man, being one in which the mental and artistic genius of the maker find full freedom. A man's true character and nature will be revealed by the violin that he fashions. If he is a true artist he will build his very soul into the instrument." God is a true artist, and that's what He does for us, His instruments. It's no coincidence that a violin is shaped like a woman, and the church, Christ's Bride, is a woman and the crown of His creation.

Doing Good: by Christopher Momany

I'm reading this book on my Kindle right now: Doing Good by Christopher Momany. This is the first line of the description: "Christianity in its purest form involves putting God’s love into action. Wesleyans have traditionally understood this embodiment and expression of God’s love as holiness."
I'm not Wesleyan, I'm Baptist, but the subject is of interest to all persuasions of Christians: the Christian understanding of Love and Holiness is the main theme of the book. I like the author's perspective so far.
The book is free on Kindle right now, which is how I found out about it. I get notices from a Kindle Review website for free book offers.
I'll post any ideas I think are interesting for discussion.

Restored Hearts by Eileen Hinkle Rife: Book Review

Restored Hearts is the story of a young man's struggle with homosexuality, but it could be anyone's story of the struggle against our inherited sinfulness and the brokenness brought about by disfunctional families, which can only be healed by the love of God and the love of His people. The author does a wonderful job of showing the process of healing, and the way that family members are interconnected so that they are each affected by disfunctionality, but respond to it in different ways. The members that seem to 'have it all together' have just as much need of healing and restoration as those that are more obviously troubled.
I love how the author related the struggle of the two brothers to the story of the prodigal son. This is so meaningful for everyone in the church, that we should love those that God loves, even though their sin condemns them. It's our job to show God's love along with sharing God's truth, not to act as judge. Only God has the right to condemn.

I highly recommend 'Restored Hearts' and I plan to go back and read the first book 'Journey to Judah' and the third book 'Chosen Ones', to find out more about the characters that I came to love in 'Restored Hearts'.

Book Launch Party at eddiesnipes.com: 'I Called Him Dancer'!!!

Eddie's official book launch is today! Please go to eddiesnipes.com to read about the book, and to enter the 'Win A Kindle 3' Contest!!! There is no purchase necessary to enter, but you can get extra entries by blogging, reviewing the book, etc..
Also on Eddie's webpage today, you can request a free MP3 copy of the song that inspired the novel: Dancer written by Tralena Walker and Tom Webster. Also mentioned in the novel is their other song, 'I Know No Other Way'. This is also available as an MP3 on Amazon.com.

'I Called Him Dancer' is available on Kindle for 99 cents, and in paperback for $10.88.

We are asking for as many people as possible to order the book on Amazon today to make it move up in the rankings and get lots of attention. The book is getting really good reviews. Thanks for helping!

When people see a breathtaking performance, it looks like natural, raw talent. The truth is, behind the performer is a long road filled with struggle, pain, and hardship. In front of every winner is a mountain of failure they must first climb and conquer. The greater the mountain, the sweeter the taste of success. Michael Camp was an award winning dancer.



For a moment, Michael danced on top of the world, but one bad choice turned his life upside down. The once promising Broadway star now washes windows for tips and lives among the homeless. When his former dance partner recognizes him behind the fray of whiskers, shame drives him away from her. Angry at God and the world, the Dancer refuses to allow anyone into his life.



Beyond his short-lived success, stands a valley of despair with terrain so rugged, his very life will hang in the balances. If he survives, the mountain awaits. It has been said, unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it cannot blossom into life. Can Michael Camp trust enough to die, when life seems out of reach?



When everything is stripped away, three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love. I Called Him Dancer is a story about how one woman’s enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life.

What readers are saying:

This book is a page turner from cover to cover, Eddie makes you feel like you actually know the characters in his book. - B. Tillman, OR.

---



Almost too good to put into words. ...you'll find yourself saying, "Just one more chapter". K. McNabney, IL

---



This book is a must read. Through this book the reader will learn about true love and the power it holds. T. Franklin, TX

---



I loved this book from cover to cover, the author makes you feel like you actually

know the characters in his book. T. Webster, VA

Reminder: Eddie's book launch tomorrow!

My husband Eddie's official book launch for his novel 'I Called Him Dancer' is tomorrow. We are asking everyone that wants to read it to order it tomorrow on Amazon.com so the numbers will go up and it will get lots of attention! It is available for Kindle for only $.99 for now. The book is getting very good reviews. I'll be announcing it again tomorrow.

P.S.: There will be a really good giveaway tomorrow on Eddie's website. I'll be announcing it in the morning!

Patricia Sprinkle: Hold Up the Sky: Book Review

Hold up the Sky

Patricia Sprinkle came to speak at our Christian Authors Guild spring conference a few weeks ago, and I went with my husband, who is the prez this year. Hearing Patricia speak and seeing what a good storyteller and communicator she is, I knew I wanted to read one of her many books. I picked Hold up the Sky, being more in the mood for a novel than a mystery, after Patricia described the plot to me. It is about 4 women who, through circumstances beyond their control, come together on a farm during a drought and end up canning vegetables in a hot kitchen, and also sharing memories and troubles as they preserve more than just food. It was right in line with my life right now, since I'm learning in our ladies' prayer group how good and necessary it is for women to share together and help each other in our struggles.
The book has so many good insights, many of which come directly from the mouths of the women characters as they share with each other. I loved Mamie's description of the love of God, and the emphasis on the sacrament of shared memories.

One aspect of the book that made me want to share it here is the interaction between Mamie, an elderly Baptist African American, and Emerita, a Roman Catholic Mexican immigrant who comes to town with her husband in need of a place to stay. The other two women are sisters who have run into trouble in their marriages. They all end up on a drought-ridden farm for the summer, and spend time together canning vegetables, trying to save and preserve the garden food. As I said, they end up preserving more than just food in the jars. Every jar represents a shared memory of intimate friendship.
I read the book entirely while on a 4 day cruise with my husband. The story was a page-turner; the characters became like close friends. I had a hard time putting it down, and I was sad when it ended. I hope to read more about the characters in the future. I highly recommend 'Hold Up the Sky'.

NOTE: Right now the paperback is on sale for $6.00 and the book is also available for Kindle.

Eddie's new book launches on April 12th!

My husband Eddie has written and published a novel titled 'I Called Him Dancer'. The novel was inspired by a song about the title character, written by Tom Webster and Tralena Walker. We heard them speak at a writer's guild meeting, where Tralena also sang the song 'Dancer'. We are having the official launch for the novel on April 12th to encourage as many people as possible to buy the book on Amazon.com that day, which will help the book move up in the ranks that day and get it noticed by more people.
'I Called Him Dancer' is a moving and exciting story about a homeless dancer who is changed by the God's love and the love of his high school sweetheart. All the reviews so far agree that the book is a page turner, and I think so too! Keep an eye out on April 12th for my announcement of the launch!

Reading 'Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy' by Eric Metaxas

Last week I started reading 'Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy' by Eric Metaxas, while still also trying to finish up Thomas Merton's 'Seven Storey Mountain'. I hope to say more about both books. It's interesting to read them both close together and compare and contrast them. For instance, both men visited Harlem in the 30's (Bonhoeffer in 1930 and Merton later in 1939) and were very impacted by the conditions there, as well as by the presence of the church there. More later....

Finished 'Choosing to SEE' by Mary Beth Chapman

Last week I finished reading 'Choosing to SEE' by Mary Beth Chapman, who, as many know, is the wife of Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. It is an amazing story, very uplifting, though as one might imagine, very difficult to read when Mary Beth relates the story of their child's death and the aftermath. The story has many funny moments as well.
The main themes of the story are the goodness and faithfulness of God; God's grace in our weakness and trouble; God's plans are usually not the same as ours, so we may find ourselves doing the things we said we'd never do; and God brings good out of what the enemy means for evil.
Mary Beth writes very candidly about her feelings, faults, weakness, and troubles, as well as the triumphs that come when she and her family look to God and trust in Him for their help and strength. She also writes about the strength and help that come from the body of Christ when others pray and help and weep with those who weep. Another theme is revealed towards the very end of the book and I won't say what it is, but God truly brings beauty from ashes in this family's story, which is the theme of one of Steven Curtis's songs that came out of Maria's death.
Mary Beth also writes quite a bit about the adoptions of her three daughters from China, and about the way that God changed her during the process; also about the new children's home, Maria's Big House of Hope, that was built and dedicated recently in China, as one of the ministries of Show Hope, the adoption grant organization founded by the Chapmans.

Quote and passage from 'Choosing to SEE' by Mary Beth Chapman

Quoted in Mary Beth Chapman's book 'Choosing to SEE': May this be your experience: may you feel that the Hand which inflicts the wound supplies the balm, and that He who has emptied your heart has filled the void with Himself. James Hudson Taylor


Psalm 40:
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.

Choosing to See: A New Book by Mary Beth Chapman

I just read on facebook that Mary Beth Chapman's new book, Choosing to See, is now at #13 on the New York Times bestseller list. I went and read the reviews on Amazon and it sounds really good. Here is the description on Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Chapman, wife to singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, tells the story of her life and loss in this tender memoir. Chapman discloses how unsuited she is to be the public figure spouse to a charismatic and outgoing husband. Marrying him totally upset her orderly mental image of a quiet life in the suburbs with a 9 to 5 working husband. Instead, she discovered that God gave her a life she didn't expect that has taken her places she didn't want to go. As Chapman tells it, fame, travel, and adoption of children took this quiet woman out of her comfort zone more times than she cares to remember. In 2008, the tragic death of their five-year-old daughter, Maria, led to still more inner heartache. The Chapmans' story is harrowing and deeply sorrowful, yet the author finds a way to communicate their hope, faith, and love for a faithful God in every moment by grace-infused moment.

Product Description
I've told my kids for years that God doesn't make mistakes," writes Mary Beth Chapman, wife of Grammy award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. "Would I believe it now, when my whole world as I knew it came to an end?" Covering her courtship and marriage to Steven Curtis Chapman, struggles for emotional balance, and living with grief, Mary Beth's story is our story--wondering where God is when the worst happens. In Choosing to SEE, she shows how she wrestles with God even as she has allowed him to write her story--both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. Readers will hear firsthand about the loss of her daughter, the struggle to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on.

Here's one of the customer reviews:

I pre-ordered this book since I grew up listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's music, and my husband & I have an interest in adoption. Honestly, I am an avid reader, and have read LOTS of Christian books, both fiction & non-fiction, and, honestly, after a while they kind of all seem to sound the same. I found this book to be very refreshing and honest. Humbly and frankly addressing topics that are often 'taboo' in Christian circles, such as depression, not 'having it all together', doubts, anxiety, etc. was a change, for one. While reading the book, I felt like I was meeting someone like me, almost like talking to a friend, instead of someone leading a perfect life trying to tell me how to make mine perfect as well, following their method. I would highly recommend reading this book.

Sounds like my kind of book, as a quiet person myself, who often feels overwhelmed and inadequate for my tasks. After I read it I'll add my own review as well.