It's Shout-out Thursday! Christine Valters Paintner and Abbey of the Arts

You’ve heard of “Throw-back Thursday,” right? Well, we’ve had the idea to begin a new practice of giving a “shout-out” each Thursday to a person, organization, or resource that we’d like to introduce to our friends. Because our passion at Fall Creek Abbey is to renew the contemplative spirit, the resources and folks we introduce will support that cause!

For the next several weeks, we’re going to spotlight individuals or couples who so kindly offered endorsements of our book, When Faith Becomes Sight, which releases November 19th. So—first up is Christine Valters Paintner, Abbey of the Arts, and her lively FB community, Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks!

I was first introduced to Christine about a dozen years ago while receiving my training to offer spiritual direction. Her book, Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction and co-authored with Betsey Beckman was an exciting book to read, providing hope that my love of the arts could be incorporated in my newly discovered love of offering spiritual direction.

I soon became acquainted with Abbey of the Arts, a virtual global online monastery (of which Christine and her husband, John Painter, are abbess and abbot), and recall the evening sitting at my computer as I read over the Monk Manifesto with tears in my eyes. “This is so beautiful!” I thought to myself. It resonated deeply with my heart and what I wanted to be about in the world. (Several years later I was honored to provide a guest blog post for Abbey of the Arts!)

Christine has been a hero and mentor from afar and we were elated when she graciously provided this endorsement of our book:

"From shimmering moments to synchronicities to following the threads of our lives, Beth Booram and David Booram have written a truly lovely guide to paying attention to those moments of the divine breaking into ordinary moments. This book sparkles with possibility and gives language and practices to help us recognize and savor those moments." (Christine Valters Paintner, author of The Soul's Slow Ripening and Dreaming of Stones)