About the Book

Book: Welcome to the Shivoo

Author: Laura Bartnick

Genre: Inspiration/Christian Living/Education

Release Date: January 1, 2020

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CREATIVE, A WRITER, A MEMBER OF THE MAKER COMMUNITY?

In the beginning, God created. Should this matter?

Do you find incredible value in your creativity, that is, a reason for being and doing that you could never imagine giving up? Okay then. This book will inspire you to join a spiritual party like no other.

Perhaps you’ve heard that the impulse to create is a reflection of the Creator’s image in you and His will for you. Your impulse to create is paramount! The chapters in this book will provide you pages of new perspectives for evaluating your craft. It will help you communicate what you experience with others. It will transform your creative future. Motivation. Spiritual Gifts. God’s own blessing.

Click HERE to get your copy.

About the Author

Bartnick has been a youth counselor with Youth for Christ, and a worship musician for many years. She is the managing partner of Capture Books, a small but mighty boutique Christian publishing group. She loves creativity and words. She loves to explore the deeper meaning of the things we casually say to one another, the things we write down. She earned a double degree in Bible and Composition from Montana Bible College and Colorado Christian University and is a truth-seeker and recipient of God’s love.

More from Laura

ARE YOU A WRITER OR PART OF THE MAKER CULTURE?

This beloved book explains why it matters that “In the beginning, God created.”

A reader coined this title, “The Creator’s Manifesto.”

When you need to find the place of belonging as a creative, look no further than the heart of God. He’s the One Who formed you to be creative in talent, and adventurous in the wild unknown.

Welcome to the Shivoo! This party belongs to Someone bigger than you. Because you are created in God’s image and given specific creative gifts and a life of purpose, you are very special to Him.

Many creatives feel that there is a monkey on their backs, and sometimes that nagging feeling includes the doubt that maybe the terrible distraction is God Himself not wanting them to succeed as a writer or artist. Nothing is further from the truth.

This book is a party and a prayer for the creatives in town.

In Welcome to the Shivoo! creativity begins with the priorities of the greatest Creator, and in that sense of wonder, it moves us into a place of gratitude and thanksgiving. Creativity always begins with a sense of wonder and awe, even a sense of meekness, “Can I do this? I have to try…” In Welcome to the Shivoo!, I try to show that God is the center of a creative’s world, and because of His love and goodness, we have a home and a place to belong. Creativity erupts from that place.

From there, the book shows how there is a Biblical theology for being creative and a means to thrive in creativity. It challenges Christians to be authentic, to focus, to communicate, and to transform. It explains how there is a kingdom language we are charged to learn, as believers, and to use not in a sloppy way, but responsibly. And, it sends us off with an exuberant blessing to go create something and enjoy the process!

My Review

This book is one that I am honestly not sure how to rate, nor am I sure what my reaction is after reading it. In order to fully derive all of the information from it, it needs to be read slowly and deliberately, so I do not think that it is an easy read. However, it is an interactive book, addressing the reader with questions for them to answer along the way. There are colorful pages and questions in text boxes so that they will stand out. From a grammatical standpoint, there is an overuse of commas, which slows down the narrative.

Overall, the language of “Welcome to the Shivoo” seems academic, to the point that it might serve as a deterrent. I appreciate, to a certain extent, Laura Bartnick’s wisdom that she is attempting to convey and teach, and I enjoyed her references to many other Capture books. I have read all of the ones that she mentions, and I look forward to the newest offerings. A combination of two quotations sum up the main message of “Welcome to the Shivoo”: “Creativity came prior to salvation, to evangelism, to preaching, and teaching. The Son was God’s creative power expressing His heart for a story and a place of belonging for the first flesh…In whatever depiction, creatives are called out to reach out to others with what they understand of God’s glory in every situation.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.