Coloring Lent: An Adult Coloring Book for the Journey to Resurrection
by Jesse Turri, Natalie Ann Bower, and Christopher D. Rodkey
Looking for a creative new Lenten practice this year? Add the spiritual practice of “coloring the Bible” to your journey. Color and contemplate each day of Lent (from Ash Wednesday through Easter) with evocative illustrations of God’s Resurrection story, from the Old Testament prophecies of Emmanuel to Jesus’ victorious appearances after his crucifixion to the loyal Disciples. Download the Coloring Lent Sampler here.
Experience the stories of Lent in a vibrant, new way this spring as you Color Lent!
The journey of Lent -- from Ash Wednesday to Easter -- is traditionally one of prayer, repentance, spiritual discipline, and meditation. But coloring?
Now you’re invited to add the spiritual practice of “coloring the Bible” on your Lenten journey. Engage both sides of your brain as you read the scripture and color your way through each day of Lent with evocative illustrations of God’s Resurrection story, from the Old Testament prophecies of Emmanuel to Jesus’ victorious appearances after his crucifixion to the loyal Disciples. Dozens of drawings will draw you deeper into the story and your own place in it.
Our bulk discount offer make purchasing copies for small groups easy and economical!
From the Introduction: “This moment of Easter is Good News for this Jesus, who is fully human and fully God, yet it is even better news for the world: God has not only moved into the world with humans but the fullness of God has taken on flesh. As you color these pages, then, consider how your fingertips, your palms, your body have now become the house of God, and following the stories of the Hebrew and New Testaments, consider how we might also walk the same journey of Jesus.”
Grab your crayons, colored pencils and pens, and prepare to deepen your journey to Easter this year with Coloring Lent.
Endorsements
“A friend recently sent me Coloring Lent, a gorgeous adult coloring book that combines beautiful Lenten themed pictures with evocative meditations based on the resurrection story. When I need to just breathe for a few moments, or when I’m pondering a dilemma or need to calm down, I find a few minutes to grab my pencils and this book, and I get lost in the contemplative act of filling in lines. It’s soothing, like the best of childhood memories, and I always come away from my time with this book refreshed.” ―Kerry Connelly, Jerseygirl, Jesus: Faith With Attitude, February 21, 2017
"This is a pictorial, verbal, and theological journey through death, resurrection, and transformation. The image of 'Cloud' is a repeated theme in the writing and coloring templates. I like the coloring pages and the short, unique commentary with references to Scripture passages. The drawings are not too detailed or complicated. There is lots space for brainstorming words or adding my own doodles (which I love to do). My husband looked at it and said, 'These are coloring pages I would actually enjoy.They are not too overwhelming or intricate.' Another plus is the pages are not two-sided, so colored pencils and markers will not cover another drawing or text. Since I like to use markers, I would insert a sheet of paper between pages when I colored."―Sybil Macbeth, "Let There Be Lent," Praying In Color.com, March 2, 2017
“On this Ash Wednesday, I am happy to have the chance to blog about a book that is different, I think, from any other that I’ve reviewed. I was sent a review copy of the adult coloring book Coloring Lent. I confess that, while I have been aware of the growing popularity of this genre, I haven’t been participating in it. And so I was not sure what to expect. Looking inside, I found the outlined artwork striking, and also the contents. My first browse through brought details to by attention such as the mention of Veronica wiping Jesus’ face. Other disorienting details included the references to God in some but not all places as “the Cloud.” This was natural in some of the early pages, which related to the experience of the Israelites in the wilderness. But the references to God as ‘the cloud’ are found much more widely. It is an intriguing way of referring to the divine, and one that is well suited to the context of Lent, with its exploration of the human experience of sorrow, repentance, and the hiddenness of God. And so I did what an academic would do when disoriented by the features of a text: I turned to the footnotes and endnotes. Not that I expected a coloring book to have either footnotes or endnotes, never mind both. But there they were. In them, I found references to James Cone and Thomas J. J. Altizer, to Slavoj Žižek and René Girard, to Ephrem the Syrian and Friederich Nietzsche. Clearly this is like no other coloring book I have ever seen, and I would dare to guess that it is like no other coloring book that currently exists or has ever existed. Feel free to tell me if I am wrong about that. The notes provide leads into very deep literature, the idea of the death of God, apocryphal traditions, as well as discussions of the choices that went into the coloring book – such as the question of whether or how to depict God. The “Cloud” can serve readily as a Biblical and a mystical symbol for God, but the inclusion thereof is still done in a highly thought-provoking manner. I am still not sure whether I will spend Lent actually coloring the pages. This is new territory for me. The connection between this spiritual practice and the idea of encountering God in, through, and as part of that which can be touched and colored is new to me. If you observe Lent as part of your own church tradition, and/or already have a liking for adult coloring books, I’d encourage you to take a look at this one, and report back to me about your experience with it!” ―James McGrath, Religion Prof, March 1, 2017