The Colors of Hope

Becoming People of Mercy, Justice, and Love

by: Richard Dahlstrom

• Format

  E-Book

  ISBN

  9781441232113

  Pub. Date

  May 2011

  SRP

  $20.00

  Buy

About

It's time for a fresh vision of the Christian life as a creative adventure.

The Christian life should be guided by the intentional goal of blessing the lives of the friends, loved ones, and strangers in our midst. We are called to impact a culture that is overwhelmingly preoccupied with personal peace, prosperity, protection, and survival. Christians should be artists who paint with the colors of hope in a broken world, embodying Christ's redemptive presence in our personal lives, our work, and our relationships.

This inspiring and practical book offers tools for living out this vision in daily life, with special attention given to the challenges we face in staying focused on the mission of imparting hope to others even while dealing with our own personal issues. Anyone who wishes to have an impact on the world will cherish this unique book.

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Endorsements

"In The Colors of Hope, Richard Dahlstrom brings a welcome call to a biblical faith that calls us beyond ourselves and the polarized debates in our society. He invites us to discover the unique ways God can use our lives and paintbrushes to bring the colors of compassion, justice, and celebration to a world hungry to find a little hope. We in Seattle are glad to share Richard Dahlstrom's prophetic voice with Christians throughout our society who want to take Scripture seriously in their lives, churches, and in our troubled world."--Tom Sine (www.msainfo.org), Author, The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time

"Revolutions begin among artists--our poets, painters, storytellers, and musicians. The Colors of Hope marks Richard Dahlstrom as a revolutionary. Passionately, deftly, Dahlstrom urges us to embrace our calling as artisans of hope. This is the soothing voice and the relevant message that this noisy, weary world needs."--Karen Spears Zacharias, Author, Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide? 'cause I need more room for my plasma TV

"If we truly believe in the resurrection of Christ, we believe in this good news not only for the annual Easter weekend, but we believe that God has risen and is at work every day. But more important, we choose not to be bystanders but to be active participants in God's redemptive work. This is what this compelling book is all about. Richard Dahlstrom reminds us that cynicism and hopelessness are not going to change the world. But neither will nebulous idealism. We have to become people of mercy, justice, and love. In short, we have to be 'artisans of hope.'"--Eugene Cho, Pastor and Founder, One Day's Wages

"Anyone who's followed Jesus for a while has seen gray areas, when vibrant faith fades into the drudgery of religion. Richard Dahlstrom, one of the brightest and best communicators Christianity has to offer right now, calls us out into fulfilling our role as creators; artists sent to splash the world with meaningful, gorgeous color. It's a lot better than moping around waiting for Armageddon."--Jordan Green, Director, Burnside Writer's Collective (www.burnsidewriters.com)

"The hard work of the artist is to take simple materials and make them into something beautiful and resonant to the human condition. In much the same way, so is being involved in the restoring works of Jesus Christ. Richard deftly connects these journeys and shows us that the call to follow after Christ is a journey of creating: imagining the kingdom he is talking about and then following in his footsteps, and we communally create that together. I know that Richard isn't just speaking of these ideas, but is actually living them out in the communities he is a part of around the world. I am one who has been inspired by his friendship and journey. It was a joy to read this book."--
Scott Erickson, professional artist, Creative Catalyst at Ecclesia Church, Houston, Texas

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