National Book Month is winding down! And we have THREE books—all for artists and creatives in church ministry! I know many creatives feel like the church has let them down, but these books help artists AND pastors walk through the process of starting a worship arts ministry together. All three make a strong case for the use of arts in our churches. Here they are and what others are saying about them!
Books, Blogs & Pages
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #209 — A Million Little Ways
StandardNational Book Month is winding down! I hope you’ve found some new resources to add to your creative library!!
Today’s book for your library is A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman. I gleaned this BEaUtiful gem of a quote from her blog post about how a five word email turned into a book:
“I don’t write as an expert – I’m not sure there is such a thing in deep matters of the soul. I write as a fellow image bearer, an intuitive observer and participant in the art of God.
I see artistic potential in not only those pursuits the world would label artistic like painting and singing and dance, but also in small gestures done with great faith, like listening, waiting, and showing up.
There is an art alive within you and you don’t have to go anywhere to find it. Because the art alive within you was woven into the fabric of your soul when you were made in the secret place. Doubt, discouragement and distraction may be covering it up, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. When believers embrace the unique shape of their soul and move into the world as the person we most fully are, art comes out.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #207 — Praying in Color
StandardFor National Book Month this month we are exploring books for creatives, artists and worshipers.
Yesterday we explored praying with the body; today let’s explore Praying In Color: Drawing a New Path to God by Sybil MacBeth.
Maybe you love color. Maybe you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, a distractable or impatient soul, or a word-weary pray-er. Perhaps you struggle with a short attention span, a restless body, or a tendency to live in your head.
If that describes you, perhaps this is the book for you! There’s even Praying in Black & White, especially geared towards men! You can explore more at MacBeth’s website Praying in Color.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #206 — Praying With the Body
StandardTo celebrate National Book Month, we continue our focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers.
Praying With the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life by Ray DeLeon is a great resource for those who want to engage their whole selves in their prayer practice.
In Praying with the Body readers will find both prayer tools
and companionship. Black and white drawings showing the postures and expressions of the body, accompany the scripture texts and explanations by Roy DeLeon. Working together, these elements invite readers to taste, explore, and discover a new and different way of knowing God. This book is for anyone who wants a more integrated and reconciled approach to prayer.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #205 — Artists & Artisans Awake!
StandardNational Book Month continues with books for creatives, artists and worshipers!!
Artists & Artisans Awake: Creativity & the Global Harvest is written by Bhari Long, a leader in the prophetic art movement in the UK. She and her husband James Mark Long not only labor as prophetic artists themsleves, but also mentor younger artists to release them in their calling as creatives in God’s kingdom.
Gordon Wright, founder of Crossline Christian Ministries in the UK, has this to say in review of the book:
“Artists & Artisans Awake! is a successful blend of the
author’s own journey into prophetic creativity together with insights which are both helpful and challenging. Through narrative, anecdote, testimonies and practical exercises, Bhari brings encouragement and inspiration across a wide range of artistic expression. If you seek to go deeper into this precious gift of God — this book is for you. Read, enjoy and be blessed.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #204 — Finding Divine Inspiration & Creative Church Handbook
StandardNational Book Month continues with more books for creatives, artists and worshipers!!
Arts advocate J. Scott McElroy is the author of two works on creativity. In Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the 
Holy Spirit in Your Creativity, McElroy encourages his readers to work in collaboration with Holy Spirit in their creative process and provides a strong Biblical and historical perspective for the Holy Spirit’s role in creativity. The book also includes interviews with painter Thomas Blackshear, Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay, Peter Furler of Newsboys, and writer/producer Buzz McLaughlin.
Creative Church Handbook: Releasing the Power of the Arts in Your Congregation is McElroy’s latest release. It includes practical advice for churches wanting to add greater levels or artistry and creativity to their services. He also provides guidelines for establishing a worship arts ministry, as well as advice on how to impact your community through the arts. Continue reading
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #203 — Cultivating Kingdom Creativity
StandardMore creative books for National Book Month!
Theresa Dedmon has been on staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California since 2003 where she currently oversees the Creative Arts department at Bethel’s Supernatural School of Ministry and in church life. She is the author of two written works on creativity.
Cultivating Kingdom Creativity: a Practical Guide to Releasing Supernatural Encounters Through Prophetic Arts in Your Personal Life, Church, and Community. “Learn how to access new levels of creativity. Receive an impartation for breakthrough in creativity. Experience activation exercises that will propel you towards your creative destiny.” Continue reading
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #202 — The Organic Artist
StandardN
ational Book Month continues with more books for creatives, artists and worshipers.
Today’s book is The Organic Artist by Nick Neddo. Is your creative hobby getting too expensive? Do you love to create but find yourself inhibited by the cost of art supplies? The Organic Artist is loaded with ideas to make your own paint, paper, prints and pigments all with the help of nature!
“The Organic Artist seeks to inspire creativity by connecting you to your wild roots. In addition to offering a wide variety of suggestions for using nature as supplies for art, this book also introduces the concepts of awareness and perception that are foundational to the creative process.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #201 — Gently Awakened
StandardWe continue National Book Month with more books for artists, creatives and worshipers!
Gently Awakened: The Influence of Faith on Your Artistic Journey by Sara Joseph is a wonderful book of transparency from the heart of an artist who has surrendered her gifts to God! Sara shares her passion behind writing this book:
“Aware of how testimonies always encouraged me, whether
I heard them in church or read them in a book, I wondered if perhaps my story would encourage someone else. This book is part memoir interspersed with color images of art and poetry. It is an account of some of my experiences as an artist and a testament to God’s incredible faithfulness. His unchanging character is reason enough for you to confidently pursue art as an expression of your faith.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #200 — Journeyartfully
StandardNational Book month continues with books for creatives, artists and worshipers!
Pattie Ann Hale is the author of Journeyartfully: Secrets for Living an Artful Life. Here is the description from her website:
“This thought-provoking and life-shifting book by artist and
teacher, Pattie Ann Hale, is an invitation to live artfully. The artful life is a deeply spiritual life which brings those who will embark upon it into a deeper understanding of creation, God’s heart, community, and themselves. This book will open one to new doors of creativity, love, soulfulness and spiritual encounter through the sacredness of everyday living, seeing divine nature in the entirety of life.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #199 — Let the Bones Dance
StandardOctober is National Book Month so we continue our focus on books for the creative soul.
Today’s recommendation is a book about embodiment called Let the Bones Dance by Rev. Marcia Mount Shoop, PhD. Don’t be mistaken in thinking this is simply a book for dancers, as it is for all who have left their feelings and bodies at the doors of their churches for a refined, safe religion.
“Why are feeling and body often demeaned in theology and church while cognition and mind esteemed? Beautifully
written, deeply felt, Let the Bones Dance defies the disembodied ethos of Reform Protestantism that turns churches into dry, brittle places where we hide rather than reveal our bodily vulnerabilities. In its place, it offers a vivid theology relocated in the flesh and blood of life’s utter physicality. Finally a book to recommend when people ask about resources on bodies and theology!” — Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Professor of Pastoral Theology at Vanderbilty Divinity School
Create A Day: your daily dose of creativity #198 — An Army Arising
StandardEnjoying our book focus? Hope so! Because there’s lots more books on the way!
Today’s feature is An Army Arising: Why Artists are on the Frontlines of the Next Move of God by Christ John Otto. It is a very inspiring book. If you are an artist or creative in need of “the big picture,” this is a great read as it helps you see the bigger picture of God’s kingdom coming to earth through our artistic offerings!
Otto works with artists through Belonging House of Boston, Massachusetts where creative worship is being used to glorify God and advance His kingdom!
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #197 — Many Books of Matt Redman
StandardOctober is National Book Month, so I’ll be continuing to post links to books for creative Christians and artists all month!
Matt Redman has a BEaUtiful heart of worship and so much wisdom to share as a “veteran” of the modern worship movement.
In addition to many songs to his credit, he has written more than a half dozen books on worship, including The Unquenchable Worshipper and Face Down. You can explore his book offerings on his website at www.mattredman.com. There are excerpts of all books available to read there so you can preview them before you decide to buy.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #196 — Painter of Light
StandardContinuing our focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers, I want to point you to Billion Dollar Painter: The Triumph and Tragedy of Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light by G. Eric Kuskey.
I enjoyed this honest review from Amazon:
“This is not the most sophisticated book. It’s not the most comprehensive book. But it is a really fascinating biography told from the point of view of a man who was a close friend
and colleague of painter Thomas Kinkade through the best and worst of times. I actually had a hard time putting the book down due to its compelling narrative arc — naive but brilliant painter and his two pals dream up a little company that turns into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, before the wheels fall off.
Some may criticize the book for being too soft on Kinkade himself, letting him off the hook for some of the financial damage his company did to gallery dealers and soft-pedaling some of the painter’s vices. But I think readers can read between the lines of the author’s account and get a pretty full and interesting picture of the Painter of Light, who kept his hopeful gaze on the morning glow even as dusk closed in…”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #195 — Books of Matt Tommey
StandardContinuing our National Book Month focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers, I’d like to introduce you to several books from Matt Tommey of the Worship Studio.
The first is Unlocking the Heart of the Artist: A Practical Guide to Fulfilling Your Creative Calling in the Kingdom. According to Jeanne Randall, President of Masterpiece Christian Arts Foundation, “It’s the Purpose-Driven Life for Artists.” I love that it touches on the importance of working towards healing and wholeness. There is also a companion guide resource with journal prompts and project ideas to help you on your healing journey.
Creativity According to the Kingdom: Connecting With Heaven to Create With God and Release Transformation is Tommey’s more recent release. I love what this Amazon reviewer had to say about the book: “Matt Tommey’s earthy and challenging teachings on creativity in the Kingdom are wonderful. He raises the bar to create with God instead of struggling to create for God. It is encouraging and uplifting.”
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #194 — Books of Artist Dave Weiss
StandardContinuing our focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers, I wanted to share the books of Dave Weiss of AMOK Arts. I’ve shared several resources from Dave this year, and here’s two more great resources he offers!!
Running AMOK: Creative Musings for the Creative Hands of the Body of Christ is his latest offering. It is available through Amazon in both print and Kindle format. Kindle version is currently FREE for Kindle subscribers or $2.99 if not.
Ministering to the Creative Soul: a Manifesto on Ministry to Creatives and the People Who Love Them is Dave’s other offering. The Kindle version is also free to Kindle subscribers and $.99 for non-subscribers.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #193 — Imagine That
StandardOctober is National Book Month, so I’ll be posting links to books for creative Christians and artists all month!
Manuel Luz is the Creative Arts Pastor for Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California. I posted his blog, Adventures in Faith & Art early in the year.
He is also the author of Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist. Here’s more about this amazing resource:
Drawing from his experiences performing Mozart, playing “dive bars”, and leading worship and the arts in the church, author Manuel Luz seeks to answer the questions that artists often ask. Laced with humorous and sometimes poignant anecdotes, Imagine That is a thought-provoking journey through the convergence of art and faith. Luz has been a working musician, writer, pastor, and even amateur cartoonist for more than 40 years, and in Imagine That he lays out his case for a uniquely Christian approach to the vocation of artist, using theologically rich and artist-friendly language.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #192 — Photography as Prayer
StandardOctober has traditionally been National Book Month and to celebrate I’m posting books for Creative, Artists & Worshipers
I posted about Abbey of the Arts and the work of Dr. Christine Valters Paintner early on in the year, and today I want to guide you to a specific resource.
Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice by Dr. Paintner is the first book of its kind—exploring photography as a contemplative spiritual practice from a Christian perspective. I first found this book when I was searching for a book for my daughter who loves to take photographs, and I consider this book a treasure to Christian photographers! The ideas and concepts are applicable for moving film and cinematography, as well.
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #191 — Books for Worship Dance
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Continuing our focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers, I want to look at a variety of books today all geared towards those in worship dance ministry or who use dance as a personal way of worship. There are many, many books for dance so I want to consolidate some of them here.
First, Lynn Hayden of Dancing for Him Ministries has a full variety of books and instructional DVDs. I featured her awhile back, and you can refer back to that post here.
Here is a list of several more books I recommend: Continue reading
Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #190 — Breath for the Bones
StandardOctober is National Book Month so from now to the end of October we’ll be focusing on books for artists, creatives and worshipers!
In Breath for the Bones (Art, Imagination and Spirit:
A Reflection of Creativity and Faith) author Luci Shaw “challenges all of us to re-think how faith informs art and art can animate faith. Here is a fresh breath of encouragement to imaginative minds. . . . A clear guide to the theological framework of creativity and the call for active participation in God’s own creative life.”
Nurturing the Creative Spirit Within 