Book Review: Chopsticks (Friends For A Season)

Two 13-year-old girls compete in a song-writing contest. They both desperately need the $400.00 prize money to help others at Christmas.
Will their friendship survive?
Will this competition draw them closer together or tear them apart?
Will their Christian faith help them overcome the challenges that they face at home and at school?
Chopsticks, by Sandra Byrd, is a book for tweens/teens that includes fun, friends, family and faith.
About The Author
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published more than three dozen books. A former textbook acquisitions editor, Sandra has also published many nonfiction articles and books. Sandra is also passionate about helping new writers develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self-publication. As such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to coach dozens to success each year.

Two Young Musicians Become Friends
One girl sells the other a guitar and they seal their new friendship with a pair of chopsticks from a Chinese restaurant. The girls love music but their lives are very different.
Paige Winsome has always been in the shadow of her athletic brother and her academic sister. She feels like she has to fight for attention in her affluent family and that her musical talents are overlooked.
Kate Kennedy is an only child.  Her father is a pastor but has to work a second job to make ends meet. Kate uses her musical abilities in the youth group at church but she feels bad about always having to accept hand-outs from members of the church.
The girls both enter a singer/songwriter competition. The first place prize is $400.00 and an opportunity to sing at the annual Thanksgiving Day football game. Paige wants to use the prize money to donate to an animal rescue group. Kate wants to use the money to buy Christmas presents for needy American Indian children.
The girls are both talented and have what it takes to win the contest. The surprise ending of this story shows how faith and friendship can overcome all obstacles.


My Thoughts
This book is realistic Christian fiction for tweens/teens at it's best. The girls in the story face real-life challenges, pressures and heartaches. The one thing that gives them hope for a better future is their Christian faith.
The girls learn to put their own self-interests aside and concentrate on helping others. This book highlights strong family values without being overly saccharine or gooey. Highly recommended for tweens/teens ages 10 - 14!

The Friends For A Season Series
Chopsticks is Book #2 in the "Friends For A Season" series. It was first published as a paperback book in 2005 and was released in digital format in October, 2011.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Easter Blessings

I want to wish each of you a very happy and blessed Easter weekend. I would like to share a beautiful Easter song with you that was written by my friend, Mary Buford. This song expresses the true joy of Easter morning.

Words and Music by Mary M. Buford. All Rights Reserved.

Easter Dawn

When Mary sadly trod the garden path

That Easter dawn,
And looked within her Savior's tomb
And found His body gone.

She started back in great dismay,
And through eyes dimmed with tears;

She thought she saw the gardener there,
And brought to him her fears:

"My Lord is gone...I know not where...
But, Sir, if you would know;
Where He is laid, please tell me now,
That to Him I may go."

One word He spoke, her name, t'was all,

But then she knew! SHE KNEW!
Oh, glory of the lighted mind! Oh, love that shatters fears that bind!
Oh, wonder of God's grand design! All He foretold comes True!

"HE LIVES!"
The bells of all the years of Easter mornings ring!
And joy abounds like Mary knew,

In hearts where Christ is King!

"HE LIVES!"

Indeed He conqured death for all who come to Him.
Oh!, now we see Thee, Lord of Life;

Our eyes no longer dim.

From Cana to Gethsemane, we meet our risen Lord.
From valley deep to mountain steep, we're lifted by His Word.
And, Oh, those precious moments when, like Easter morn anew,
We meet with Jesus once again, in those who love Him too.

Meet Mrs. Smith Delirious? Book Giveaway

Meet Mrs. Smith: My Adventures with Six Kids, One Rockstar Husband, and a Heart to Fight Poverty, by Anna Smith, is the story of a devoted Christian woman and her life as the wife of a Christian rock star. Mrs. Smith opens her home and her heart to share what life is like when her husband is leading worship on stages all over the world. Anna is not only the wife of Martin Smith but she is also the mother to six children.
Anna's story begins with a terrible car wreck that seriously injured Martin as they drove home late one night. It was during his recovery that he decided to make his Christian rock band a full-time endeavor and Delirious? was born.
Mrs. Smith shares incredible insights and behind-the-scenes adventures that she has experienced over the past 20 years. Many time Anna was left behind to care for the children while Martin toured the world. The Smith family was often separated but they always stayed connected and devoted to each other. The entire family would sometimes join Martin on his foreign tours. They traveled to America, India, Australia, Cambodia, Africa and many other destinations. The entire Smith family experienced a close-up look at extreme poverty when they visited India, Cambodia and Africa. Anna and Martin worked together to form CompassionArt, which raises money through art and music to help the poor around the world.

My Thoughts
The honesty of this book really touched my heart. Anna provides a realistic look at what it is like to be the wife of a rock star. She admits that things are not always easy, but she is devoted to her family and adjusts to all the challenges that come her way. She makes it clear that God is first in her life, then her marriage and children and finally her husband's career. Anna does not let the fact that her husband is a celebrity go to her head. She keeps her priorities straight and is leading a very rewarding life. This book is a real inspiration.

Thank you to the B & B Media Group for providing a free copy of this book for me to read and review.

Companion Book
I recently read and reviewed Delirious: My Journey with the Band, a Growing Family, and an Army of Historymakers by Martin Smith. This is a companion book to the book that I reviewed today. Please click HERE to read my review.

Delirious? Book Giveaway
I am giving away the following TWO books in this book giveaway;

Delirious: My Journey with the Band, a Growing Family, and an Army of Historymakers

Meet Mrs. Smith: My Adventures with Six Kids, One Rockstar Husband, and a Heart to Fight Poverty

These books have been read one time (by me) and are in very good condition.

How To Enter
Just leave a comment on this blog and you will be entered to win this contest. Don't know what to write? Just tell me, "I want to read the Delirious? books!" That is all there is to it. On Monday, March 28th, I will draw a lucky name out of a hat. Please leave an email address so that I can contact you. You will have until the end of Wednesday, March 30th to respond to my email and send me your name and shipping address. If I do not hear from you, I will pick another name on Thursday morning.


Who Can Enter
This contest is open to anyone age 18 or older. I am willing to ship this book (at my expense) to any location in the world so please do not hestitate to enter. I love my international readers. I ask that you just submit one entry per person.

Deadline
You must post a comment on this blog post no later than 12:00 noon (Central Time) on March 28, 2011.
I will announce the name of the winner on this blog the week after the drawing.

Follow Me!
I would love for you to push the "Follow" button and add your name to my group of loyal blog readers. If you are on Facebook, I now have a Networked Blogs widget that you can use. However, this is not a requirement to enter this contest.

Delirious? By Martin Smith

Martin Smith opens up his heart and tells the story of his life as a worship leader with the contemporary Christian band Delirious?.  "Delirious: My Journey with the Band, a Growing Family, and an Army of Historymakers" tells about Martin's childhood days growing up in a middle-class Christian home in England. He learned to play a guitar at a young age and started leading worship in his home church as a teenager. He married Anna, a pastor's daughter, and became involved in his church's outreach events. 
In 1995, Mr. Smith was involved in a near-fatal car accident.  During his weeks of recovery, he decided to become a full-time musician. He became the lead singer for the band Delirious? and his career quickly took off.  Martin and the other members of the band were talented song writers as well as performers.  The band toured all over the world and drew huge crowds at Christian events.
The author honestly tells about the many advantages and trials that come with touring and being a member of a popular Christian band.  He is brutally honest about some of the challenges that they faced.  He is very quick to give God all the glory for the success that he and the band experienced.  It was important for him to stay connected to his home church and to limit his touring schedule to not exceed ten days at a time.  Mr. Smith expressed the difficult feelings that he had to face when he left his wife and six children to travel with the band.
Joyce Meyer invited the members of Delirious? to lead worship at their conferences in the United States and abroad.  Mr. Smith writes about how his life was changed when the band traveled to India to lead worship for a Joyce Meyer conference with over four hundred thousand people in attendance. The author met Farin, the daughter of a prostitute living in a Mumbai slum. This girl was the same age as one of his daughters, and without help she too would end up facing life as a sex worker.  Mr. Smith felt the Lord calling him to help the poor people in India.  He organized CompassionArt to raise money to help relieve the extreme poverty in third world countries.
The last part of the book tells about the transition period that Mr. Smith and his family are experiencing since the band broke up.  His faith is stronger than ever and the future is bright for this talented musician. 
On a personal note, I first saw Martin Smith leading worship at a Joyce Meyer conference in November, 2010. The huge crowd of worshipers at Lakewood Church were on their feet the entire time that Mr. Smith led the worship.  I wrote about this experience on this blog in a post named, "Joyce Meyer Washes Feet."  Joyce was teaching from John 13: 1-17 and acted out the story of Jesus humbling himself and washing his disciples' feet. She asked Martin Smith to sit down in a chair, take off his shoes and socks so that she could wash his feet. 
This book is fascinating and inspirational.  I was touched by Mr. Smith's strong faith in Christ during his long journey with Delirious? and beyond. 

Thank you to The B & B Media Group for sending me a free copy of this book to review.

Coming Soon:  I am currently reading Meet Mrs. Smith: My Adventures with Six Kids, One Rockstar Husband, and a Heart to Fight Poverty. This book was written by Martin Smith's wife and tells about her experiences. I will be posting my review of this book soon!

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Brighten The Corner Where You Are

In 1913, gospel meetings were popular, spurring lagging faith with song, personal testimony, and shared experiences.  Ina Duley Ogden's wish as a young woman was to join the Chautauqua circuit as an evangelist and bring to thousands her strongly felt message of love and Christian belief.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Ogdon's father was an invalid who required constant care and attention.  Ina abandoned her dreams and decided to spend her life caring for her father.  She poured her heart into writing songs that would express her Christian faith.  When she wrote the lines, "To the many duties ever near you now be true," she could well have been thinking of dishwashing, sweeping and cleaning, which to her became work God had assigned her. 
Homer Rodeheaver, a famous evangelist, selected "Brighten The Corner Where You Are" as his theme song.  Thus, though she never reached the attention of thousands of people as a Chautauqua speaker, her message has come to millions through music.

Brighten The Corner Where You Are

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,

Do not wait to shed your light afar,

To the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are.

REFRAIN

Brighten the corner where you are!

Brighten the corner where you are!

Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;

Brighten the corner where you are!

Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,

Let not narrow self your way debar;

Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,

Brighten the corner where you are.

Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,

 Here reflect the bright and morning star;

Even from your humble hand the bread of life may feed,

Brighten the corner where you are.