Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night

by Richard Thomson
 
A short book focusing on Van Gogh's famous painting :The Starry Night". This book is published by the Museum of Modern Art, where The Starry Night is on permanent display. I didn't learn much new information, but the examples and detailed look at the painting still made this a worthwhile read.

Van Gogh's Ghost Paintings: Art and Spirit in Gethsemane

by Cliff Edwards
 
Utilizing comments made in the letters of Van Gogh Cliff Edwards ponders the meaning behind the two paintings of Christ in Gethsemane that Van Gogh painted, then destroyed. An amazing amount of stuff can be written about two paintings that no one other than the artist ever saw. Perhaps the best way to describe this book is a quote from the author ""How poignant that the artist's giving up his Gethsemane paintings recapitulates the very meaning of Gethsemane in the gospels. Sacrificing personal preference for a deeper and broader mission requiring destruction is a process both journeys have in common."

Swimming in the Sun: Discovering the Lord's Prayer with Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton

by Albert Haase
 
This was a re-reading of the this book, which I first read a number of years ago. Albert Haase has a way of pulling spiritual insights and theological connections from a variety of sources and weaving them together in this study of the Lord's Prayer. I find this book both challenging and affirming - challenging in the sense that I am moved to live a more Christ-like life, and affirming in that Haase reminds the reader how God's grace is always active in our lives. Finally, this volume has given me a deeper insight into the underlying message of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.