Scribbling in the Sand Study Guide [Paperback]

Michael Card (Author), Dale Larsen (Contributor), Sandy Larsen (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2002

"To this day we have not the slightest idea what it was Jesus twice scribbled in the sand. By and large the commentaries have asked the wrong question through the ages. They labor over the content, over what he might have written. They ask what, without ever realizing the real question is why? It was not the content that mattered but why he did it. Unexpected. Irritating. Creative." Singer, songwriter and diligent student of Scripture, Michael Card is well known for the depth of his lyrics and the artistry of his music. But far more significant than the songs he has penned is the source of his inspiration--the creativity embodied in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God. In his book Scribbling in the Sand Card explores the biblical foundations of true Christian creativity. Whether we think of ourselves as creative or not, all of us are created in the image of our Creator God, and thus creativity is a vital expression of our discipleship. This companion study guide provides eight sessions to help individuals and groups interact with the themes of Michael Card’s book. With discussion questions, inductive Bible studies and creative exercises, each session provides opportunities for reflection, discovery and application. The user-friendly format makes this guide ideal for small groups, Sunday school classes or anyone who wants to enter into a life of Christian creativity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Card's stunning little book on creativity opens with a story about Jesus: faced with an adulterous woman that he was asked to punish, he knelt down and scribbled something in the sand. Card says that commentators have asked the wrong question what Jesus wrote rather than the more provocative question of why: "It was not the content that mattered but why he did it. Unexpected. Irritating. Creative." This same praise can be heaped upon his perceptive, original combination of storytelling and theological insight. Like Card's other books, this is profoundly biblical, teasing out fresh interpretations of Scripture through deep interaction with the text. Who but Card would imagine Noah's construction of the ark as a creative, imaginative act? Who but Card would then contrast this creation to the erection of the Tower of Babel, which demonstrates what happens when people create out of selfish ambition? Various chapters discuss the role of imagination in the prophetic books of the Bible, the activity of Jesus in helping to create the universe and the need for "a lifestyle of listening." Card's tone alternates between a gentle call to embrace God's beauty and a stinging jeremiad against the glib it's-all-about-the-artist approach to creativity that dominates both Christian and secular thinking. The book is not prescriptive; it doesn't help would-be artists and writers enhance their creativity through innovative techniques or exercises. It simply describes what it is like to know God and, as a result of that experience, to want to respond to him.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

"Every song I've heard Michael sing makes me think about Jesus. Every moment I've spent with Michael makes me think about Jesus. Who better, then, to make us all think more highly of Christ than Michael Card. May God use this book to do exactly that in your life." Max Lucado, author

"When Michael Card speaks on Christian creativity, the world listens. I think they listen first because he is a Christian whose faith is his reason to be. I think they listen next because he is creative. In every sentence he writes, his appetite for beauty devours his soul and leaves the rest of us hungry to acquire his taste. I think I personally admire him because he lives in that Promethean torture chamber where mediocrity is offensive and excellence exceeds the grasp. Yet it is his reaching toward aesthetic wonders that refreshes us with a widening vision of Christ. Then having caught the greater view of things, he generously passes the vision forward to us all." Calvin Miller, author of The Singer Trilogy

"This book reached my heart as few others. Every artist (which means every Christian) needs to meditate on Michael Card's message, not just read, but ponder, reflect, pray. The result will be a thrilling release of the Spirit from depths you hadn't before realized were there. At least, that's what happened in me." Larry Crabb, author of Inside Out

"Countless books circulate on what it means to be 'creative,' on what 'art' is; relatively few are written from a distinctively Christian perspective. There cannot be many more qualified than Michael Card to fill this glaring gap. Here we learn, powerfully, that creativity, rightly conceived, is a response to God: it is worship. To his own evocative reflections Michael Card appends the musing of several other Christian artists and critics. This is a book to be cherished and savored." D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 78 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books; Print On Demand Edition edition (June 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830820590
• ISBN-13: 978-0830820597
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid inspiration for artists of all kinds, September 15, 2002

By 

Phil Wade (Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scribbling in the Sand (Hardcover)

Here is a beautifully published, inspiring work by a great musician who is a fountain of insight into God's heart and our imagination. Michael Card focuses primarily on Christ in this book on Christ and Creativity, and by doing so, directs our attention to the source and objective of our artist efforts. We, as Christian artists, are Christ's own possession, Card says, living for Him and through Him to accomplish everything by His inspiring strength. With personal, encouraging words, Card writes a wonderfully sound book that should be read by artists around the world. It isn't loaded with practical advice for building or working out creativity (though there are bits here and there), but the chapter of letters to young artists from a diverse group of accomplished, godly artists reads like Proverbs, line after line of memorable advice. That chapter and the bibliography of works on imagination and creativity are worth the price of the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than Just Scribbling..., January 25, 2005

By 

James John Hollandsworth, M.D. "lightalongthe... - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Scribbling in the Sand (Hardcover)

Why should a doctor who can't carry a tune in a bucket and can't draw a stick figure love a book about the nature of art and creativity written by a musician? But I fell in love with this book from the first chapter, for it beautifully and eloquently puts forth a vision of Christianity that everyone needs to hear and embrace. As Larry Crabb describes the book, "Every Christian needs to meditate on Michael Card's message...the result will be a thrilling release of the Spirit from depths you hadn't before realized were there.." I had the pleasure of hearing Michael discuss the themes of this book in a coffee-house: he is a humble and wise servant of Christ, and his writing reflects it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep waters for the artist, May 2, 2005

By 

L. A. Eddy "Artist for Life" (Northern Virginia/Wash. DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Scribbling in the Sand (Hardcover)

When I read this book, I loved the ideas more than the excecution of them, in the literary sense. I guess I expected it to be more eloquent, with better excegetics, but I realized that it was not needed.

Some times as a painter, I would keep working on a painting too long, and really make it worse than better. What I was looking for was not needed, it would have muddied the colors Michael was trying to communicate to us.

Thanks for giving us your thoughts, and being willing to share those of others with us in the persuit of excellence in our gifts.