Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole

by Angie Smith

We love to cheer for the underdog and believe to our core that every life makes a difference. And we are right. There is no one God can’t use and no one whose brokenness is too broken for God. We know this is true for our friends when we want to encourage them. Yet, when it comes to the places of our innermost sense of shame and regret, we often wonder if it is really true that God can work all things together for good for those who love Him.

Angie Smith is one who was quick to encourage a friend, but struggled to believe that God could truly make something spectacular out of her broken- ness and disappointments. Responding to God’s leading to both break and reconstruct a simple pitcher, she reflected:

It was as though God were saying, here you are, Angie. You are mended. You are filled with my Spirit, and I am asking you to pour yourself out. The image of my life as a broken pitcher was beautiful to me, but at the same time, it was hard to look at all of the cracks. I ran my fingers along them and told Him I wish it had been different. How I wished I had always loved Him, always obeyed Him, always sought Him the way I should. I was mad at the imperfections, years wasted, gaping holes where it should be smooth. But God, my ever-gracious God, was gentle and yet convicting as He explained. My dearest Angie. How do you think the world has seen me? If it wasn’t for the cracks, I couldn’t seep out the way I do. I chose the pitcher. I chose you, just as you are.

Mended takes you on a journey to show how faith lived in the regular events of daily life is all that it takes to be a part of creating God’s picture of redemption in your life and those around you. Your life does make a difference—because of how He is magnified in the cracks.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Spirituality, Self Help, Christian Non Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

This is Angie^^Smith, where ^=space.

About the Author
Smith is an author, blogger, wife (of Todd Smith, lead singer of the hit Christian contemporary group Selah) and speaker. Many people have connected with her through her transparent, warm, witty writing about the life experiences Smith writes about. Her training is in psychology (a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University in Developmental Psychology), and her blog gives her the opportunity to combine her two greatest passions: helping to heal people’s hearts and writing. Her recent books include "What Women Fear: Walking in Faith That Transforms" (2011) and "I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy" (2010).

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book, as I usually do about many self-help books written by Christian women. On the one hand, I love reading books on religion and spirituality. I generally find them to have meaningful and helpful advice when it comes to living out a life of authenticity and love. On the other hand, many of these books seem to be lacking authenticity. I have no doubt that Angie Smith is a wonderful person who has been through so much and yet has persevered. But her flowery language is sometimes so over-the-top and dramatic that the real message gets lost behind the words. Instead of "a friend of mine," one often finds phrases like "a sweet friend" or "a precious friend." I feel these phrases have been tirelessly overused and sound so cliquey. I can't think of any other specific examples right now, but I know that there were several instances while I was reading this book that I nearly put it down and walked away simply because it made me feel like I was talking to a teenage girl about clothes rather than a fellow Christian about faith. When a writer uses cliches more than she uses her own words, I'm left feeling like she is more concerned with trying to be relevant and cool than honest and authentic. While there were many things in Mended I liked - I did find myself making notes and highlighting certain passages - a lot of her language was just not to my taste, which prevented me from fully enjoying the book.

[Alicia Fannin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book is a collection of essays that draw on the experiences of the author’s personal life that read like devotionals.

It was a deep & touching read . The author is real & authentic, which makes her fabulously relatable. I love how she shares her thoughts and the lessons the Lord has taught her. I appreciated the small bits of humor she sprinkled in.

This gave me an interest in the other books she’s written. I look forward to reading more of her work.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This devotional was a great read to remind you how God is constantly mending you throughout the ups and downs of life. I loved seeing the moments where the devotional hit just at the right time. It was supposed to be a 30 day book with a group of ladies and it’s funny how even though I definitely took longer then 30 days to finally finish it, it was at exactly the right time as always. Each days devotional read true every time and sat exactly where it needed to!

[Kaylyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. As a mother who has also lost a child I felt a deep sense of promise and understanding. I took my time reading this one chapter at a time before bed. It was comforting and yet thought provoking.

[Deb Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this is read one chapter at a time, it is a delightful devotional, written in conversational tone by a heart seeking God in each moment of a typical day.

[Carissa Buckwalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! I’m working to read one spiritual book a month and this didn’t disappoint. Some sections dragged on a bit, but by the end it gave me a lot to think about.

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you would have told me fifteen years ago I would be working on a book about my Christian walk, I would have laughed. And so the story goes, right? God has a way of redefining our expectations.

It has been a labor of love to walk back through some writing published over the past four and a half years on my blog, Bring the Rain. The blog began as a way to keep family and friends informed as we walked through the pregnancy of our fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, who we only got to have with us on this earth for a few short hours. I blogged through the brokenness and hurt, clinging to God's Word and a community emerged. Somewhere along the way I began to consistently get e-mails from people asking if there was some way to combine my more devotionalesque entries into book form. Mended is the fruit of that vision, and I hope it blesses you and reminds you how loved you are by your Creator. Has something convinced you that you aren't a worthy recipient of His love? Where are the distractions and the noise of life getting in the way of your walk with Him?

Whatever calls our name louder than the voice of Jesus needs to be identified as an obstacle in our walk. Life is busy and days are short. We don't take the time we need to let our souls breathe. I want to invite you into my little corner of the world for a few minutes of your day and ask you to sit with me in silence. There's no wrong way to read Mended. Go at the pace that matches how God is speaking to you. But as you start, let me suggest that you carve out a half hour out of the madness each day and let's talk about the way He loves us in spite of ourselves.

My hope is that will be a resource that leads you to pray and dig deeper into His word. I have given you some prompts to help with this along the way, whether you are reading alone or with a trusted friend or spouse. Each entry has a focused Scripture, a devotional, and then some brief application ideas." (pg 2).

In the book, Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole by Angie Smith, she incorporates her own stories as a way to help the reader look into their own life circumstances and be challenged to see how God can heal all those broken places and renew us in ways we might never have imagined. This would be a perfect for a women's small Bible Study to help heal the areas within us all that remain broken and make us feel less than perfect, when God's whole purpose is restoration in our lives. I think the way Angie has utilized her own stories creates a bonding of sorts with what women can relate to on their levels. The overachiever, the one never feeling worthy enough, the ones whose past is holding us back from the future God has imagined for us. This book does just that and more and one I highly recommend!!!

I received Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole by Angie Smith, compliments of Shelton Interactive and B and H Publishing Group for my honest review. Far too often, as women who are busy in families and marriages we place our own needs far below others and this book helps heal those places and makes us better equipped to deal with those challenges that women face. I rate this book a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

[Hannah • So Obsessed With · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mended reads like a series of devotionals, which is in part because it was adapted from some of Angie's blog posts (which she discusses in the introduction). I could see this being used for reflection and introspection since Angie does write some nice discussion questions at the end of each chapter, but I read this more like a traditional book - straight through and finishing within a few days. I didn't spend a lot of time on each chapter, but I loved that the heart of these stories was to encourage people to dive into the Bible. I liked how Angie showed that you can find so much within its pages that is relevant to your everyday life, and reading it doesn't have to be intimidating. The stories she shares are personal to her, but many of them encouraged me or pushed me to think about how God has been evident in every aspect of my story.

No full review on So Obsessed With.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ended up taking this back to the library unfinished. Before you get offended, I normally finish *everything* I read, but this just wasn't what I expected. It wasn't as filled with scriptural insights as I prefer (a quotable verse at the top of the page isn't enough "proof" for me) and felt too much like a blog post in sharing from a ME perspective instead of getting to the heart of the reader. From the back cover, title, and information here on Goodreads I thought it would be just what I needed at this point in my life, but it just ended up not being for me. Maybe if I'd known more about the author or had been a reader of her blog or heard her at a speaking engagement it would have been a little better, but since I don't know her it felt a little impersonal between writer and reader.

[Chyina Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a Christian living book aimed towards women who have ever felt broken. Whether their brokenness comes from failed relationships, loss or disappointment, Angie Smith discusses how the Lord mends us and makes us new, not just "as good as new."

She uses a lot of her own experience and this book is the culmination of blog posts she wrote earlier in her life. At the end of every chapter, she asks her readers to take actionable steps in a section called "mending," some steps are as simple as taking time to think of someone who you could help in some way.

This book, especially towards the end, didn't relate to me as much as some other Christian living books that I've read but I still recommend it.

[Denise Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's divided into sections, with expectation to be read as a devotional. She shared how God spoke to her through her children many times. Stories that stood out the most for me were Moses and Tyranny of choice. Moses story is about the comparison game as humans and living God created us to be and not nobody else. Tyranny of choice encourages us to check our motivations of our decisions. When it appears that we have too many options we neglect choosing God's choice. I didn't finish the book because it lost my interest towards the end.

[Heather Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fairly quick read. It works well to read when you just have a few minutes a day, or are waiting for an appointment etc. The chapters are short and are adapted from original blog posts. It’s one woman’s story of loss and grief and her journey through the pain. There are a lot of “Christian help phrases” that can be triggering and seem to dismiss the seriousness of the struggles we face in life. However, I do think she uses them from a positive place and then she shares how she walked that out. Overall enjoyable and has a few helpful nuggets.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third book by Angie Smith (I've previously read I Will Carry You and done her Seamless bible study), and as always, she does not disappoint.

Among other things, I love Mrs. Smith's willingness to be vulnerable about her faith, her grief journey, and her own perceived shortcomings. Additionally, she is real, down-to-earth, and easily relatable. I highly recommend her books.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many times this books said to me just what I needed to hear and made me cry, in a good way. Angie is so very real and honest. She has found treasure in walking closely with Christ, letting Him touch and mend and bring light from her broken places, and deeply desires for others to experience that same healing and love and redemption that she has and to see God in the ordinary moments of our days.

[Chianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not deep doctrine but like talking to a Christian sister about life...very sweet and very refreshing. I have a feeling I'll revisit.

I like how she uses herself as an example for most of it...

I'm not sure who read the audible - but they did a good job [sped up 1.5x - 2.0x lol]. IDK why readers read so slowly...

[LAMONT D · Rating 4 out of 5]

BETH MOORE WRITES THE INTRODUCTION. WOULD WORK WELL AS A WOMEN'S DEVOTIONAL. LOTS OF PERSONAL STORIES OF HER STRUGGLES AND THE DEALING WITH THE DEVASTATING LOSS OF THEIR INFANT GIRL. EACH CHAPTER BRINGS YOU A THOUGHT AND SOME APPLICATIONS OF THE SCRIPTURE PRESENTED ALONG WITH THE TEACHING POINT OF THE CHAPTER AND A TIME OF REFLECTION PLUS AN ACTION POINT TO CONSIDER.

[Susan V · Rating 2 out of 5]

My women's group at church chose this book for their annual book discussion. I lost interest. It's over the top preachy for my taste. Still, it sends a message to encourge people to see God's love is theirs if they just want to look.

[Corissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to purchase this for myself, I had borrowed this copy from the library. I want to read this as a devotional with time to research and think on things, instead of reading on a deadline.

[valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Angie Smith's vulnerable and relatable way of writing. This book read like a devotional and I enjoyed reading it over several months to give myself time to reflect on the content.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this devotional book over a couple of months. I really liked her insights and got a lot from her pieces which were adaptations of her blog.

[Dee Paisley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning lessons on maturing and mending in a lifelong relationship towards the eternal goal.

[Rachel Vivio · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I read it because a friend recommended it.

[Sharla Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mended spoke to my heart. I loved Angie Smith's analogy of breaking a piece of pottery and then putting back together as a way to remember that God redeems all the broken parts of our lives.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing...

[Steph]

Not content I was looking for

[Julia Hamill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really eye-opener.

[Allie Sugg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every minute of this book. It had me tearing up at quite a few points reading about the love and grace of our Savior. Beautifully written and a great encouragement!

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I didn't realize that it was more of a devotional format. I underlined some things, and she made some good points, but overal,l I felt it was mediocre.

[Angela Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Angie Smith !

[Lisa Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her writing is beautiful and her sense of humor constantly had me smiling.