With a background in education, Cindy Garland enjoys teaching. She and her husband Joe love art, but they love the Bible even more. Combining these interests gave a new twist to writing Bible studies. Cindy has a passion to make a difference in the lives of others through writing, which allows...
show more
With a background in education, Cindy Garland enjoys teaching. She and her husband Joe love art, but they love the Bible even more. Combining these interests gave a new twist to writing Bible studies. Cindy has a passion to make a difference in the lives of others through writing, which allows her to follow God's purpose and direction in her life. Many years ago, Cindy let go of God, but He never let go of her! And because God rescued her, she knows that she is not the same person, He made all things new!Reaching audiences with various interests, Cindy focuses on the reader as she writes. The desire to help others and to meet their needs, motivates and encourages her with the ideas and content for her books. The stories and studies are about life-changes and readers discover how to make it happen! Readers will find out how to overcome a challenge, how to improve their present condition and how they can be better off for it! If you are ready to be challenged, sometimes pushed beyond the status quo to think in a fresh way, then these books are for you. You will be offered an unexpected set of options in these studies, allowing you to see the world and yourself in a whole new light! Please keep scrolling down and you'll see a great book review by Byron Borger of "Hearts and Minds Books".Cindy writes books which are about and for the reader, giving practical applications and helping to make his or her life easier. Cindy and Joe live their message since it often comes from their own personal experiences.Watch for a book coming out soon by Cindy that could rock your world! It could knock you off balance! Stay tuned for "How Do I Get Out of This Mess? (Good News in a Bad News World!)"."THROUGH ARTISTS' EYES" BOOK REVIEW BY-Hearts & Minds Byron BorgerHearts & Minds234 East Main StreetDallastown, PA 17313717.246.3333I mentioned a week or so ago that evangelical publishers are doing some fresh new things, and it is a good time for religious publishing. Well read on---this is certainly an example! Standard Publishing has released three small group Bible studies that are reflections on artwork under the series title Through Artists' Eyes. Inspired perhaps by Henri Nouwen's important Return of the Prodigal Son, a book-length study of the famous Rembrant painting and the Biblical parable, these three new studies look at six art works, invite conversations about them, and then refer the reader to appropriate Biblical passages that relate to the art productions. Each of the three studies focuses on a particular medium. One reproduces exquisite stained glass and is called God's Word Through Glass while another studies Bible-inspired sculptures, called God's Word in Stone. A third looks at six famous religious paintings and is called, of course, God's Word on Canvas. It is just fabulous the way these inductive studies invite observation and interaction with the art, allowing for good conversations--- do you notice a certain tilt of the head, a particular slant of light, this tone or color or shape? What does it mean? Can it shed light on the Bible passage? Why these enduring artworks were made, how they were giving expression to a Biblical character or text, and how we can use them in our own Bible study is something to discover as you use these Through Artists' Eyes studies. I don't know if other stores are promoting these, but I have a hunch the publisher took a bit of a risk to produce these. Let's "vote" in the marketplace and get these resources known and used! Thanks to Standard Publishing for doing art-enhanced Bible study---three cheers, for sure!The art is reproduced on glossy paper in full color, by the way, and they are very reasonably priced at only $7.99 each, making them even less expensive than some other small group Bible study guides. We think they are very nicely done. And they just might accomplish something so very, very important: helping us see and hear God's Word. And, secondarily, it might help give us an opportunity to invite artists into Bible study that honors their interest in classic artistic work. Highly recommended. Do let us know if you have any interesting stories of their use, or what you think. Thanks.
show less