This week I’m giving away THREE copies of Angie Smith‘s book, Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole. Angie has a way of making you feel like your chatting with your BFF as you read her work. The wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of hit Christian contemporary group Selah), Angie co-wrote the song “I Will Carry You” (found on Selah’s CD You Deliver Me) and authored a book by the same name. Angie, Todd, and their daughters live in Tennessee. I recently had the chance to ask Angie a few questions about her book:
Margaret: For readers who aren’t familiar with Mended, what is main idea?
Angie: It’s actually an interesting story. I had been writing a blog for a few years and had several entries that seemed to be the ones that resonated with readers, so we decided to compile them and turn them into a devotional-esque book. They were written in all different seasons of life, from great loss to simple everyday observations, all with what I hope will be a glimpse into the way the Lord is evident in our day-to-day lives. Some are funny, some are broken, and others were catalysts to some big steps in my own walk. It’s a collection of glimpses into an average life when you’re attentive to the divine grace around you.
Margaret: With all the Christian books on the market today, what motivated you to write Mended?
Angie: I really wanted the Lord to feel accessible to people reading, and I prayed it would speak to them about His intricate love in their lives. So many times what seems to be a minor detail or a subplot to our story is actually where we see Him the most-but we have to learn to look 🙂 I love when I hear Him whisper into the nooks and crannies of my parenting, my friendships, my fears etc. and I sense a newness about it all because I am keenly aware of Him there. This book is a collection of some of my favorite snapshots of my faith walk.
Margaret: What sparked the cover design for Mended and what is it trying to convey?
Angie: Ahhh, the pitcher 🙂 It sits on my mantel and sparks quite a few questions whenever my kids have friends over. Several have offered to save money and buy a nice new one, since it appears I took great pains to rescue this one 🙂 In actuality, I did. Several years ago I was in a hard place and feeling like my past had ruined what I had to offer. I started to consider all the ways I have messed up, disappointed, and rejected what was right and I was really affected by the regret that haunted me. One night, I felt like the Lord told me to take a pitcher and smash it on my front porch. Despite the fact that it was 10:00 at night, I did it. And then I felt Him tell me to put it back together again. For hours, I pieced it the best I could, all the while seeing these shards as symbols of my own brokenness. By the end of it, it looked exactly as it does on the cover, and as I stared at it, He whispered something so powerful that it changed the way I saw things. Instead of lamenting the missing pieces, He showed me the way the cracks allow Him to seep through; the way I am able to share His goodness, even in the wake of what I considered failure. It was a post I called “The Past & The Pitcher,” and the whole story is in Mended. But let’s just say when I saw it on the cover I cried for a good long while-it’s become a special piece to me 🙂
Margaret: What do you hope will happen in the reader’s heart and mind after they finish with the book?
Angie: My greatest hope is that the reader will start to see God in everyday moments, and that what feels unredeemed will become an offering instead of a hindrance to walking with the Lord. I also hope they laugh their heads off too 🙂 We need a good combination, don’t we? I hope they find it here, and that it inspires them to listen to Him, to revere Him, and to know that they’re loved by a trustworthy God. That feels pretty ambitious, doesn’t it? But I’d love to think He could use my words to speak His own 🙂
Check out the book trailer for, Mended. (RSS Subscribers, click here to view.)
To win ONE of THREE copies of Mended, enter a comment on the original blog post at MargaretFeinberg.com. Winners will be selected and announced on Friday.
Congratulations to the winners: Paula Middleton, Pal Jordan, and Halona
God used a shattered picture to speak to Angie. When is a moment in your life where God has used something–an item, conversation, opportunity–to speak into your life?
