Sun streams through lace curtains as I sit in my living room. Except for the low buzz of my electronic servants that sit in my kitchen, it is completely quiet.
It has felt like a rough week. Orthodox Lent began on Sunday night, a night when I was sitting in an immigration line that stretched to the airplane gate at Logan International Airport. The week did not get easier. Family sickness that led to urgent care visits and intravenous fluids, jet lag exhaustion, multiple priorities at work, and adhering to a strict first week fast had me face to face with my human frailty and my anger. I didn’t like what I saw. This morning I woke to news that a suicide bomb went off in a busy street in Istanbul. A street where my brother and sister-in-law walk many times a week for church and jobs, where Turks gather by tens of thousands every week. I am acutely aware of a world broken and my own part in that world.
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Over a month ago I received a coloring book from Doorlight Publications. Would I be willing to take a look and review the book? I had sort of kept up with the “adult coloring book” trend, and I love coloring so I said yes — I would be glad to.
The book arrived late afternoon one day and I began flipping through it. I was taken aback by how beautiful the drawings were. Each one is a hand drawn masterpiece. The artist, Lorien Atwood, grew up in Pakistan and the Middle East, and the designs are clearly inspired by these parts of the world that I love. They are a rich ensemble of lines and circles that flow into gorgeous designs. But this coloring book is different – because in the middle of each drawing is a verse taken from the Bible. Each drawing expertly symbolizes the verse and the result is remarkable. As you color, you find yourself meditating on the words before you and truth soaks into and awakens your soul.
As I looked at each drawing, and thought of the hours of work of this artist, an artist who loves God and uses her God-given gift to create, the words of Madeleine L’Engle came to mind:
“God is constantly creating, in us, through us, with us, and to co-create with God is our human calling. It is the calling for all of us, his creatures, but it is perhaps more conscious with the artist–or should I say the Christian artist?”
Setting out my colored pencils, I picked my colors and began to add to what Lorien started for me. I had no real plan, just the pencils and the art in front of me. Before long, the picture began to sing through the black and white. Colors and words flowed together and I found myself relaxing, meditating, and thinking of how, when we give it a chance, truth changes us.
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I think about this now, as I remember the week before. Truth changes us. But sometimes we have to sit still long enough to let it happen.
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Blogger’s Note: I am not one to quickly buy into trends, but this book is no trend. It is a beautiful, reflective work of art created specifically to use as meditation and encouragement. I will be giving away two of these books at Communicating Across Boundaries through Western Holy Week. If you want to be considered, please leave a comment here. I look forward to sharing these with you! They are remarkable.
If you are interested in purchasing a book and don’t want to wait for the giveaway, the books are for sale at Coloring in Truth USA.
Read an interview with Lorien here!
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Marilyn R. Gardner 
nice….i would like one
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Beautiful! Would love one. :-)
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This looks amazing, I would love one.
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Love this! Would love a copy!
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I would like to be considered. I would give it to my daughter in law who with my son and their children are in transition and have been living with us out of suitcases for longer than expected. So while she would color she could also be encouraged by the Word as scripture would fill her heart.
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I’d like a copy! Then eventually I can color with my son :)
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This looks amazing!
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Gorgeous. Would love to win one!
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This reminds me of the henna my Moroccan mama used to do…brought me to tears. Beautiful!
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I live in Cambodia and find colouring is a good way to relax, de-stress & meditate on the Father. I would love to have a colouring book that helps me meditate on Bible verses.
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What a wonderful idea that is finally catching on – as a primary school teacher now I have been singing the praises of colouring for ages! :)
Thanks for the reminder to stop and breathe and just meditate on His word. I am having a rough go lately – unable to even really get online and read the blogs I so love reading like yours, so the reminder was timely.
Christi
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So happy to know about this book!! I’ve been drawn to the concept of adult coloring books and now know which one I want! This one offers so much more than the act of creating art by including a meditative verse. What a lovely way to engage and inspire body, mind, heart, soul!
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A beautiful book and idea! Thank you for sharing it.
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Lovely book! I so hope I’d get one…
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What a neat idea! Just this week I was pondering what activity I could incorporate each week to intentionally pause.
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What a wonderful activity to be able to do as you rest in his truth! Just this week I was pondering how to be more intentional in pausing.
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Yay for you sharing this! My husband has always loved to color! And he will love the added bonus of scripture. Don’t put my name in the giveaway; I’ll order some today. Thankful as always for all of your thought provoking words
Cathy
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As a follower of Colouring in Truth on Facebook, I have been wishing I could buy one of these for quite some time. Christian meditation using God’s Word seems such a natural fit with coloring. Now in which box are the colored pencils anyway?
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Beautiful and relaxing.
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I just had surgery and would love to have this gorgeous coloring book steeped in truth to help pass the many quiet restful hours. Thank you.
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Marilyn, such a wonderful discipline. Yes, we can create. Yes, we are making gorgeous designs with our lives, as well as with paper and pencil.
I have several very large coloring sheets with different devotional words on them. I’m currently coloring the one with “Peace” on it. (To go with my Peace Project, #PursuePEACE.)
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Beautiful. What a great idea to color and pray! I loved coloring with my kids and watching those I taught color and imagine and physically calm themselves. What a great gift to share also!
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I’m not one to buy into trends either, but you have me intrigued by this book. I’ve been considering how to incorporate meditation into my day – coloring in this book sounds like a great way to do if!
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I would love to have a copy of such s beautiful coloring book, Marilyn. Contemplative coloring is calming and a good way to practice mindfulness.
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Such a wonderful idea to meditate on a Scripture verse while filling a design with color.
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I would absolutely love one, please. I live in Japan, though, so if you are able to ship here, then yes, please! It looks lovely and I would love to sit down with some biblical words and some extra color in my life.
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I bought my sister a Dover coloring book and Prismacolor colored pencils for Christmas about 15 years ago :) She’s an occupational therapist and she’d told me how she found coloring to be so relaxing, but most coloring books in the store were very childish. I was familiar with Dover, so got her one of those. We are loving all the new adult coloring books coming out now — such variety! And I love the concept of meditating on a particular verse while coloring. You’d definitely have it committed to memory by the time you finished!
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I love how this blog feeds so many parts of the soul, including the tangible and creative!
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Thank you for your beautifully kind review. I love to see my art being used around the world. I’m a Pak MK too. ;)
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I’ve been searching for this!! Since young I’ve enjoyed colouring books, now that there’s one that is meaningful and helps me to mediate on the Word is perfect!
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Marilyn, the pictures are beautiful and touch a heart chord.
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I like the concept of meditating on Scripture while colouring in artwork that expresses it. Please enter me in the draw. Thank you.
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From this first page the book seems very special. I would love to have one for my mother she is using this new trend to calm her pain. Where can they be purchased?
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Lovely to hear from you Karlyn! Here is the website where they can be purchased
http://coloringintruthusa.com/ Thinking of your mom as she faces pain. May she have relief and distraction.
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I like the idea of meditating on Scripture while colouring in artwork that expresses it. Please enter me in the draw. Thank you.
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Beautiful book :) Yes, this is not necessarily a trend, but more a way of remembering the moment we live in. And if this can be done while reflecting on a bible verse, even better!
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Fingers crossed that I win one! It looks lovely!
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I would love to win one and also know where I can buy a few to give as gifts
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So glad to hear from you! Good luck with the contest and here is the website so others can be purchased. http://coloringintruthusa.com/ Some people have their churches order copies to be given out or used for retreats etc. Recently I was incredibly uptight about heading to the airport. It was so uncharacteristic that it really threw me. I sat on my couch, took a deep breath, and began coloring. It was remarkable how things changed. Thanks for commenting!
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I would love to be considered. I’m in Kraków, Poland, away from home. It is such a gift to be here, it is beautiful, and I feel His presence, but I miss my church community from the States. I’ve been struggling with spending too much time on my phone, and I’ve been struggling to find a good routine for quiet time, reading my Bible, and praying. I would love to be considered, as like you said, truth changes us, though sometimes we need to sit still long enough to let it happen. I’m thinking spending time sitting still would help my heart. Blessings to you. Thank you for your words and sharing your heart.
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I think Cecily Thew
Patterson, another Pak MK had a lot to do with the first publishing. Maybe she could tell us how it started.
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Youre right. I pulled it together and made it happen first, in Australia. Basically, I saw a drawing by the artist, fell in love and knew I had to do it. Luckily Doorlight agreed with me and took it on in the US.
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I’d like to win. :-)
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God works in ways we can’t even imagine to calm our busy minds and soothe our anxious spirits. There is wonder, surprise and yes, even glory in the colors and the myriad ways they whisper to and through the heart. Thanks for sharing!!
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Lovely!
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