Author Mitch Albom's Faith is Reborn

Mitch Albom's story of his friendship with a dying professor, "Tuesdays with Morrie," has become the most successful memoir ever published. His latest book, "Have a Little Faith," is also about the power of unexpected friendships.

Albom sat down with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith to talk about his amazing journey to rediscovering his faith and the human spirit.

According to Albom, "life is full of surprises and his best-seller, "Tuesdays with Morrie" was like that "as it came out of the blue. And this did, too."

Nine years ago, Albom went back to the little town were he grew up and a rabbi pulled him aside and asked him a lofty favor. He asked him to do the eulogy at his funeral.

Although Albom had grown up in that community, where he had his bar mitzvah and could read the Torah, he admitted he "wasn't prepared" and "hadn't been religious in a long time."

Luckily time was on his side and he got the chance to build a friendship with the rabbi.

Albom pointed out that he didn't abandon his faith, but since he was content with his life, he didn't depend on his faith as much as he used to as a young man.

"I walked away from it like a lot of other people. Because I was doing well, I was healthy and I figured God can go his way and I'll go mine and I'll be fine. And for about a 20-year period, I really didn't have a whole lot to do with it until this very unusual request," he explained.

As a dutiful and committed person, Albom took the time to get to know the rabbi better and then a whole other relationship formed.

"I thought it would be a few weeks. It ended up being eight years. He lived until he was 90," Albom said. "And we ended up talking about every kind of thing. I learned all sorts of things about him and life behind the pulpit and behind the robes and theories about important things in life."

When Albom was in the hospital with the rabbi he asked him what the secret of happiness is and he said "It's easy yes - be satisfied for all you have and all God has given you" and "that's it."

"Now, that took about, what, 15 seconds? And I haven't stopped thinking about that ever since I heard it. And it was just a series of those kind of lessons," Albom said.

In the meantime, Albom started doing some volunteer work in his adopted hometown of Detroit. While volunteering, he got to know a pastor in a completely different congregation, who works with the homeless.

"He was African American, Christian, he'd been a criminal, a thief, a drug addict and turned his life over one night when he thought he was going to be murdered by his drug dealers. And now he ministers to the homeless and poor with a church where there's a giant hole in the roof - where it literally snows into the church." Albom said.

Albom was about to learn yet another valuable life lesson.

"When I first met him, I didn't trust him it to be honest because we don't tend to trust what we don't know. Especially when it comes to faith. But because I had been getting to know the rabbi off the pulpit, I said 'let me try it with him' and I found this whole other world of this guy who was feeding the poor and taking care of the neediest of citizens," he said.

Part of the book's proceeds as well as additional donations will help buy a new roof for the church.

"Thanks to donations from around the world, we're going to plug that hole up before Christmas," Albom said.

On a different note, Oprah Winfrey, who produced two of Albom's movies, also shared some life-altering news. She announced she is leaving her talk show.

"She did a great job. She was a joy to work with. And she does good work and does good things and it's hard to get famous for doing those two things in America - and she has. So my hat's off to her," he said.

To read an excerpt from "Have a Little Faith," click here.