Painting in the Dark: The Longing to Be Seen, to Be Heard, and to Be Known

I have been blessed to cross paths several times with Paul, Gail and Nathaniel Thorson...both in the US and in Ukraine. I am proud of Paul showing his deep heart and sharing it....really an intimate look into a man who does not stop at the superficial. Paul shares how we all tend to be at first blush quite superficial and predictable....believer or not....but with deliberation and reflection, we can, and God urges us to....to look deeper at all that is around us and within our hearts to find not just truth, but what is behind it. I like the analogy by another Reviewer.....Paul turns on the light in a dark room we are all familiar with, then turns it back off....to let us stop and think and learn and lead with a growing, ever evolving FAITH. Paul...many thanks to you for your heart, your humility and your desire to never stop growing in Christ.

As the person of chapter 4 I have found that the book brings to light that there are pretences that we all use to be liked. The author's stories of those pretences will cause readers to reflect on how we all, in differnt ways, try to be the controler of our own destiny and begin to realize their need for a Savior, not only for salvation but in every aspect of their life.

Paul Thorson speaks as a minister and artist, who has that rare ability to share with the reader his struggles to live out the fullness of the Gospel in a way that touches both the heart and the mind. Unlike too many spiritual books that offer a simplistic solution to life changing devestating situations, Paul gently guides the reader along offering gentle words of wisdom to help those who are lost find the next step. Very powerful reading for anyone going through a dark night of the soul, as this book offers living proof that even one may feel they are in a hopeless situation, they can see the light all in God's time.

Paul Thorson has wrecked me - in a good way. This book has been able to stretch and challenge me into the depths of what's usually forbidden territory: inside of me. Thorson shares his own story, his own testimony, his own journey of how God has molded him into who he is today and probably prepared him for what's to come ahead. As a teacher, missionary, and church-planter in the Ukraine, one is supposed to have all the answers figured out to all the questions - but sadly, but rightly I think, this isn't true. And his own realization of this comes out through his words. "Whether we are in formal leadership roles or not, underneath any cultural reasons for our self-protection are pride and unbelief. We misunderstand something. We think others will be drawn to Christ by our changed life, but it's our changing life that connects our realities with their realities. That's what interests them: the process, the in-between." (p. 43) "Is it possible Gideon is saying, 'Give me these signs because I don't trust my ability to recognize Your will? I want to do Your will, and I need to be sure this is it. It's not that I think You are not trustworthy, Lord - I'm just not sure about myself.' (p. 125) I'm hoping the disjointedness of the quotes pulled out above will actually make an impression of the process as Thorson has described. He stays biblically grounded and astute, and still pulls that last nugget out on Gideon that really tweaks my thoughts on what might've been going through his head when God was leading him to lead Israel - and how many times do we really hear from God and then write it off for our own fear or our own lack of understanding? How many times have I missed God because I'm afraid to confront Him with my doubt, with my lack, with my own perception of what's still lacking? Painting In The Dark flips on a switch in a dark room - but only for a moment, giving just a quick glimpse at what the room looks like. But then it's flicked back off, leaving it to me to navigate through the darkness with what little light I've been entrusted. It's my own walk, my own journey alongside as I've read of his struggles and successes. I've appreciated this one more than some others for its real-ness and honesty, and I hope I can lend this one out to a few others who might find themselves longing for someone else to flip the switch, too.