I'll Bring the Chocolate: Satisfying a Woman's Craving for Friendship and Faith

Was shipped and received just as seller said it would be. Book looked brand new, fast service. Highly recomend! :o)

Have you ever let your ambition, your busyness, and your quest to reach your goals gradually fill up your life and not leave room for friends, faith, fun, and laughter? I'll Bring the Chocolate: Satisfying a Woman's Craving for Friendship and Faith by Karen Porter is a wake-up call for every woman who's forgotten the sweetness and strength found in deep friendships with other women. Karen was a busy and ultra-successful executive who admits that she "swapped the need for friendship with the allure of accomplishment...I didn't mind stepping on others to climb the ladder of success." After a while, she discovered that work is no substitute for the beauty and nourishment of friendship, and she decided to seek out new friends as well as repair the damage done to existing friendships using a hard-earned collection of nine important ways to survive life's difficulties and enjoy its pleasures...with friends. I love the chapter formats in I'll Bring the Chocolate--each starts with a little story from Karen's life, then folds in layers of biblical principles and wise morsels of advice, then finishes with discussion questions, a prayer, and a luscious chocolate recipe. A chocolate theme holds everything together, and as I read I was thinking what a wonderful book this would be for a women's group study, complete with a chocolate dessert at each meeting! Some of my very favorite stories included the Ugly Cake, the Chocolate Truffle friend (best one in the box!), and the Rescued Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise. But most of all, I love Karen's transparency, humility, and willingness to unwrap her own shortcomings on her journey to learning how to be a good friend. I learned so much and identified with so many of the stories...and yet they are shared with love and empathy. A delicious book, and well worth reading more than once.

In her delightful book, I'LL BRING THE CHOCOLATE, Karen's transparency is so refreshing and serves as a timely reminder to examine ourselves and our relationships with friends. Every friendship is a unique relationship and Karen reminds us to cherish and nurture those friendships. Her recipes for chocolate delights struck a chord of kinship with me because of my love for cooking and the wonderful "secrets" learned from my mother and grandmother. Be sure to read about her suggestions for neighborhood "get-acquainted" meals featuring chocolate fondue--could anything be any better than that? Thanks, Karen for the reminder that friendships are God's gifts to us and that He brings us together with other women sometimes for special purposes. And aren't we glad to know now that like friendships, chocolate is good for us, too!!!

Chocolate and Friends. What woman could resist that combination? I picked up this book expecting a shallow, pat yourself-on-the-back-feel-good little book. Was I surprised. Karen Porter asks tough questions, like this: Are you the object of your faith? That little sentence rose up and smacked me right between the eyes, and it didn't come with chocolate either. She has a lot of those sneaky questions that caused to do some self-evaluation about my Christian life. And she points out what a blessing friends are, too. Special people to treasure and treat well. Be there when they need us, rejoice with them, grieve with them, and sometimes forgive them. YOu can't have too many friends, and I'm going to take better care of the ones I have. A thought provoking book filled with hope and encouragement, and recipes too. Chocolate, of course. This one's a winner.

I'll Bring The Chocolate Karen Porter ISBN: 978-1-59052-957-7 Multnomah Books, 2007 Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com Chocolate and a good friend 5 Stars Caution - reading this book could be hazardous to your waistline. I'll Bring The Chocolate by Karen Porter is a delightful look at friendship and chocolate. Karen Porter compares being a faithful friend with delectable, luscious, mouth- watering chocolate. Friends rescue each other, when one is sick. The other visits, brings food, offers to clean the house, and hopefully remembers to bring chocolate. MS Porter shares simple stories and life experiences to make her point. She skillfully describes a good friend, one that is willing to be there through the tears and laughter, one that is loyal and gives you strength when you need it. There are nine chapters. Each discusses a different aspect of friendship and a different type of chocolate--from Godiva to chocolate pie, from a box of chocolates to a chocolate fountain. MS Porter knows her chocolate and she knows what a good friend is. At the end of each chapter is a recipe for something, chocolate. From the moment I looked at the cover of this book I knew it would be special; after all the word "chocolate" is in the title. I enjoyed I'll Bring The Chocolate immensely. The cover is inviting, and the plot is easy to understand. MS Porter has added "Bringing the chocolate " suggestions at the end of each chapter. I'll Bring The Chocolate is filled with spiritual insight and written with a little humor and lots of truth. I was drooling for chocolate by the time I finished reading the whole book. I recommend this book to all Christian women.