Choosing To See by Mary Beth Chapman and Ellen Vaughn

I just finished reading Choosing to See. Can I just say how blown away I am? From the moment I opened this book, I resonated with this woman--a mother. I laughed with her as she shared stories of her marriage before kids. I laughed again as she shared each of her childrens birth stories. I cried with her as she shared her stories of pain from when she was younger. But then, I cried wept as only a mother could cry weep for the loss of one of her own.

This book is heart warming and heart wrenching all at the same time. Mary Beth, along with Ellen Vaughn shares her deepest secrets and fears. She opens her heart for us to see how her and Steven and their whole family are now coping since the loss of Maria.

I encourage you to read this book. It will bless you and touch you like no other book you have ever picked up (with the exception of the Bible). I truly saw the Lord through Mary Beth's eyes. I am so glad I was able to review this book for Revell.
About the book:

"Every now and then a book comes along that is not only great--it's a gift. An extravagant gift. This is one of those books."--Beth Moore

From the beginning, Mary Beth Chapman's life was not how she planned. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life of stability and control. Instead, God gave her an award-winning singer/songwriter husband, crazy schedules, and a houseful of creatively rambunctious children. Most difficult of all, God's plans for her also included tragedy.
In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones. And as the story unfolds, she's been forced to wrestle with some of life's biggest questions: Where is God when things fall apart? Why does God allow terrible things to happen? How can I survive hard times?
No matter where you find yourself in your own life story, you will treasure the way Mary Beth shows that even in the hard times, there is hope if you choose to SEE.

Endorsements

"Mary Beth makes the deepest places of our being easier to embrace and grasp. I felt like I was looking at my own heart exposed on the pages of this book."--Denise Jonas, mother of the Jonas Brothers

"Mary Beth has an important story to tell that starts long before the accident. It's a story of heartache, betrayal, depression, and loss. Yet her encouragement to us is that there is hope--spring is coming."--Mark (of Casting Crowns) and Melanie Hall

"Mary Beth has opened the doors of her stories to us so that our deepest fears may be overcome with hope. And so that we can all walk in a deeper trust that God is good . . . all the time."--Toby (TobyMac) and Amanda McKeehan
"When the world is telling us to suffer alone in despair and hopelessness, the Chapmans are fixing their eyes on Christ and faithfully walking each step clinging to the Lord and the hope we have in the promises in His Word."--Bart (of Mercy Me) and Shannon Millard
"This tender story will capture your heart and point you back to the One who restores, replenishes, and renews . . . even when He asks us to do hard, seemingly impossible things."--Wess Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International
"With a balanced combination of heart-wrenching honesty and absolute grace, Mary Beth shares her 'severe mercy.' I couldn't help but sense God's presence in every sentence."--Mary Graham, president of Women of Faith
"Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman are living their story in a way that brings glory to God and real, practical help to the body of Christ. You won't be able to put this book down until you've wept, laughed, and relished every page."--Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview