Is this a “New Age” book?
No, it is not. “Healing Patterns” is a Christian book. At the very foundation of this coloring book is the powerful, life-changing Word of God (the Holy Christian Bible). Long before the New Age movement developed any interest in healing, God declared Himself to be the one who heals us (Exodus 15:26). Throughout His Word, He encourages us to seek Him and discover Him as healer. “Healing Patterns: A Coloring Book for Adults” brings together just a handful of faith-infusing, healing-related scriptures as a way to help you get to know God as Healer (Jehovah Rapha i.e. The Lord who heals you). The more we bury ourselves in His Word, the easier it is to get to know and experience God in an intimate way. Many people assume God does not heal in our modern age, because they have never made the effort to discover this mysterious facet of Him. God healed people thousands of years ago, and He still does it today. His Word will help you discover this for yourself. And, you may be interested to know that God is a step ahead of modern medicine. Jesus told us to let go of anxiety for good reason (Matthew 6). Today, modern science has confirmed that anxiety and excessive exposure to stress not only contribute to illness, but they also slow the healing process. To encourage our bodies to fight disease and heal as God designed our bodies to do, we have to take responsibility for worrying less and managing our stress. “Healing Patterns” honors God in two ways: it is centered around His life-giving Word, and it provides a practical way to reduce stress and anxiety levels through a form of art therapy that is accessible to anyone capable of holding a pencil.
Isn’t coloring for children?
Yes, but it not exclusively for children. You are not alone in thinking that coloring books are only for young children. It’s a common misconception. Unless you doodle when you talk on the phone, you probably don’t do a lot of art-like activities, and you probably can’t remember the last time you used colored pencils, right? (Unless you recently helped junior finish his drawing homework.) Somewhere along the journey into becoming a grown-up, coloring was dropped by the wayside. Most people don’t remember why they stopped coloring – it just happened – and with that closed the door to yet another stress-reducing activity that children wisely make use of every day.
Coloring in adulthood is not only practiced by particularly weird people or those with compromised mental faculties. Coloring allows healthy and disabled people alike to be colorfully creative and expressive without the pressure to draw well. It is a natural form of art that requires little more than the ability to hold and use a pencil. Coloring has a calming effect that helps us detach from the kinds of thoughts that agitate and cause anxiety. Coloring for adults is gaining popularity as people begin to recognize the health benefits of engaging in stress-reducing activities on a daily basis.
Does science support a book like this?
Yes, it does. Take a moment to read this post about how engaging in art activities can not only reduce your stress, but also encourage your body to heal faster.
If coloring benefits everyone, why is “Healing Patterns” considered an ADULT coloring book?
Before you close your eyes and turn away in horror, you should know that the “ADULT” designation was added because of the wide-spread misconception that coloring is only for children. This is not a book for children, although many children will enjoy using it. None of the content in this book is mature in nature or inappropriate for viewing by children. However, the designs created for “Healing Patterns” are largely hand-sketched and tend to be abstract and rather detailed. In my experience, young children tend to prefer coloring subjects that they can recognize and identify. As a child, I loved coloring abstract shapes, but quickly realized that not all my peers shared my fascination with the strange and the undefined. You may find that many young children become frustrated with the coloring challenges posed by the abstraction and complexity of the designs in “Healing Patterns”. However, I am a strong believer in challenging children to stretch themselves beyond their comfort zone, and would love to hear feedback about children who enjoyed using “Healing Patterns“. You know the children in your life better than I ever will, so you be the judge of whether he/she is ready for this book.
“Healing Patterns” is for adults of all ages, but it also meets the needs of those in-between years, when childhood is behind you, but adulthood is still out of reach. I highly recommend “Healing Patterns” for pre-teens and teenagers as they begin the journey of learning to manage stress on a daily basis. Irrespective of the number of trips we have made around the sun, we all need a creative, frustration-venting, calming, healing playground from time to time, and “Healing Patterns” helps us remember how to play in a way that benefits us.
Why are there scriptures in this book?
I believe God’s Word has the capacity to bring life (1 John 1:1; John 6:63). God’s Word is a source of restoration and renewal, so it is a perfect partner to creative exercises that help us relax and make space for our bodies to repair themselves. Often, when we are ill or consumed with the cares of life, it can be difficult to bury ourselves in the scriptures even though we know our inner strength is replenished this way. When we are battling fatigue or overrun by thoughts about work or finances or family, just the idea of spending a lot of time reading scriptures can seem exhausting and formidable. Yet, it is at these most challenging times in our lives that we most need to get quiet and saturate ourselves in God’s living Word.
So how do we get the ball rolling when we don’t feel like we have the energy or the time for it? “Healing Patterns” was created to give you access to small, but extremely powerful doses of God’s Word so your faith can start to grow right now. There is no need to procrastinate feeding on God’s Word, because you are too tired or too busy. The scripture extracts are deliberately short so people with limited energy or attention spans can focus their attention without fear of being overwhelmed by too many words.
What are ORGANIC designs?
I often describe the abstract illustrations in this book as “organic designs”, because the lines and forms are inspired by nature, and particularly living organisms. The lines are not forced to follow restrictive pathways, but tend to curve and twist and wind themselves together to form new and sometimes strange structures. If you look carefully, you may see lines and shapes that are reminiscent of lush plants, crawling insects, rolling hills, gurgling streams, and expanding galaxies. The patterns that evolve are as predictable as the patterns you find in nature, while embracing the charming uncertainty and expectation we all experience when waking up to a new day.
Where computer-generated patterns may delight the eye with their predictable perfection, hand-drawn organic designs resonate that part of us that is both soothed and invigorated by the natural delights of life: the sparkle of sunlight on a dewdrop; the crashing of waves on a sandy shore; the azure brilliance of a distant mountain range; the first chirp of newly hatched chicks; and so much more of God’s magnificent creation.
Why did you create a book focused on healing?
Every day, perhaps hundreds of times a day, we face decisions that will affect us for the rest of our lives. We face the choice of life or death, often without realizing it. Strangely enough, it is often the little choices we make that can have the greatest impact on our lives. We choose life when we opt to exercise for our health instead of just lounging and snacking in front of the television. We choose life when we eat the broccoli and give a pass to that tempting sticky bun. We choose life when we switch off our phones and spend time talking to God and reading His Word.
“Healing Patterns” is a book about life and death, and a bold invitation to choose life. When you hold this book in your hands, you are challenged to choose life, one small decision at a time. You can choose to think you are too old or too educated or too busy to color patterns, or you can choose to pick up some crayons and give your body and mind a rest from all the stress-inducing activity that haunts you day and night. You can choose to read the scriptures and learn what God wants to reveal to you, or you can convince yourself that you don’t have the time to read a couple of sentences. You can choose to believe that God isn’t interested in you and your health, or you can boldly take Him at His Word and reach out for the impossible through faith.
God inspired me to create a picture book that would help people still their mind chatter and get quiet before Him. When we shut out the worries of the world, we make space for God’s Word to establish itself inside us. When we meditate on what He has said in His Word, our faith starts to grow. And our faith pleases God: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)
Some people are in good health and want to stay healthy. Others need the kind of healing miracle that medical science admits is out of reach. “Healing Patterns” is for all of us, healthy and not so healthy. “Healing Patterns” is your very own quiet place, a place to relax, become still, and dwell on the greatness of God as it is revealed through His Word. God’s Word brings life, and today is your day to choose life.
Do I need to be good at art to benefit from “Healing Patterns“?
ABSOLUTELY NOT. If you can hold a pencil and make marks on paper, you are qualified to use and benefit from “Healing Patterns“. It doesn’t matter if you can’t stay inside the lines (or even see the lines clearly) as you color. It isn’t critical that you have a big box of crayons – use a blue and red ballpoint pen to color if that is all you have. What matters most is that you pick up a crayon and start coloring. Thinking about doing it won’t help you much. You actually have to put some color onto the page.
If you enjoy doing crafts and would like to try to turn “Healing Patterns” into an art activity for your family or a class you teach, I recommend taking at look at “Outside the Box“. This section will give you some ideas on how to derive extra benefits from “Healing Patterns“.
Should I buy the download or the paperback version of the book?
The format you choose will depend on why you are purchasing the book. The paperback, letter-sized book is perfect-bound with a colorful, glossy finished cover. It costs a little more than the download, because it includes printing costs. This version of the book is ideal as a gift to yourself or for someone else. Give this book instead of a bunch of flowers the next time you visit someone in hospital. The printed book is also recommended for use by study groups, rehabilitation meetings, or classroom environments. The download is preferable if you plan to use the coloring pages on-the-go. Print only the pages you will need to take with you, so you don’t have to carry a book. The download is also a better option if you intend to create wall art or greeting cards from the book pages. Print only the pages you want to turn into art on high quality art paper or cardstock.
What do NKJV and KJV means?
NKJV is the acronym for New King James Version. NKJV is a modern version of the Holy Bible commissioned by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 1975. KJV refers to the King James Version of the Bible. It is an English translation of the Holy Bible that originated in the early seventeenth century, and is still widely used today. The scriptures included in “Healing Patterns” are extracts from the NJKV or the KJV version of the Bible.
Is “Healing Patterns” only for sick people?
No. “Healing Patterns” offers benefits to those who are ill and those who are healthy. Many people avoid thinking about stress management until it becomes a problem. Why wait? To stay healthy, we need to do a good job of managing our stress. Coloring illustrations from “Healing Patterns” is great way to unwind at the end of a long day of work. And no, you don’t need to finish the entire illustration in one sitting. Instead of switching on the television every evening after work, try setting aside 30 minutes once or twice a week to color.
Is “Healing Patterns” only for Christians?
“Healing Patterns” can be used by anyone interested in a calming, creative way to deal with anxiety and harmful stress. Coloring as a therapeutic technique can work for anyone of any faith. For Christians, however, “Healing Patterns” offers something extra. The scriptures associated with each illustration offer the opportunity to reflect on God’s Word, and grow closer to Him through learning what the Bible teaches about Him as healer. Meditating on God’s Word allows it to feed our faith. As our faith grows, it becomes easier to trust God in every part of our lives. When we can trust God wholeheartedly, ANYTHING is possible, even miracles that involve healing of bodies and minds.
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