Passionate, 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.<\/p>\n
\u2013KAREN SPEARS ZACHARIAS<\/strong>, author,\u00a0Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide? <\/em>\u2018Cause I need More Room for My Plasma TV<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Richard Dahlstrom brings a welcome call to a biblical faith that takes us beyond ourselves and the polarized debates in our society.<\/p>\n \u2013TOM SINE<\/strong>, author,\u00a0The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One <\/em>Mustard Seed at a Time<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Dahlstrom reminds us that cynicism and hopelessness are not going to change the world. But neither will nebulous idealism. We have to become \u00a0people of mercy, justice and love. In short, we have to be \u201cartisans of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013EUGENE CHO<\/strong>, pastor and founder, One Day\u2019s Wages<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Richard Dahlstrom, one of the brightest and best communicators Christianity has to offer right now, calls us out into fulfilling our role as creators\u2013artists sent to splash the world with meaningful gorgeous color.<\/p>\n \u2013JORDAN GREEN<\/strong>,\u00a0director, Burnside Writers Collective<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n If you are content and happy with where you are in your journey of faith, and if you prefer that your happy little boat not be rocked, steer clear of this book.\u00a0\u00a0For some reason, God has decided to give Richard Dahlstrom a remarkable life, or at least a deeper-than-usual sensitivity to the remarkable aspects of a normal life, characterized by full-frontal confrontations with what the apostle James referred to as \u201cfaith without deeds.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, like many of us who have been Christians for most of our lives, Richard was marching along happily in God\u2019s army, about the business of saving sinners, when he discovered the things that seem to matter most to God (judging by the attention they are given in scripture), and how the things God seems to prioritize are often not the same things his followers prioritize, if you consider how we spend our time, money, and words.<\/p>\n Using the analogy of art \u2013 specifically, visual art \u2013 Richard explores what the Lord wants from his people, according to Micah 6:8\u00a0\u00a0(incidentally, a governing passage in my life). Referring to these as the \u201cprimary colors,\u201d he explores what it looks like to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.<\/p>\n With a refreshing sense of his own fallibility coupled with a zeal for sucking every last bit of watermelon off the rind of life, Richard strikes me as a middle-aged man who never quite got the memo that he\u2019s reaching the age where he should start slowing down and letting the next generation pick up the slack. Far from it, as I learned on Easter Sunday. Richard is too busy building wells in Africa, teaching theology classes in India (and many other places), and challenging his flock at Bethany to live remarkable lives for the sake of setting the captives amongst us free.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t read a book like The Colors of Hope <\/em>and then carry on with business as usual. If you are a Christian, you will put this book down and be filled with a fresh sense of your purpose and calling, relieved by the reminder that our faith is not tame, predictable, or comfortable, but it is good \u2013 always good. And if you are not a Christian, reading this book just might encourage you to reconsider the glorious invitation to walk with Jesus.<\/p>\n \u2014 CHRISTY TENNANT<\/strong> (excerpted \u00a0from her blog<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n THE COLORS OF HOPE<\/a> |\u00a0BUY THE BOOK!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Passionate, 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. \u2013KAREN SPEARS ZACHARIAS, author,\u00a0Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide? \u2018Cause I need More Room for My Plasma TV \u00a0 Richard Dahlstrom brings a welcome call to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"parent":38,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-96","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n