Reflections

The Patheos Book Club continues to feature Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice.   New today is a visual guided meditation featured on the main page of the book club.  Click here and scroll down to where it says Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart: A Guided Meditation with Images by Christine Valters Paintner and you can scroll through a series of my photos, with quotes from the book, as well as suggestions for reflection and pondering. There is also a brand new and wonderful review by Craig Detweiler of Doc Hollywood, who is a professor

Next stop on the Virtual Book Tour is Mary Benton’s great review at Find Hope where she describes becoming intoxicated by life: I went out after work tonight and got drunk. In the woods. With my camera. There was no food or drink involved – for it was not my body but my spirit that became intoxicated. Allow me to explain. I first “met” Christine Valters Paintner online a couple of years ago quite by accident – or so I tell myself. I was on the internet one evening, googling something or other. I no longer recall what I was searching

Today’s stop on the Virtual Book Tour is a lovely review by Annie Wright at Profoundly Superficial: Picture this. It is full moon and everything is bathed in a silver light. Lying on your back, you gaze upwards while, in a single long exposure, your camera patiently records the stars as they trace their arc across the night sky. You don’t have to do a thing. You can simply close your eyes and find yourself floating between heaven and earth. This is slow photography, something I have little experience of, because professionally I must work with quick decisions and instant

Stop by Idealawg today where lawyer Stephanie West Allen interviewed me for my Virtual Book Tour: The book shows us why and how the way of seeing facilitated by photography can be valuable. I asked Christine a few questions that may be of interest to conflict professionals. The law can be a very stressful profession. In Todd Kashdan’s book Curious, he talks about the relationship between curiosity and anxiety: the more curious one is, the less anxiety he or she will be experiencing. In your book, you talk about the promotion of curiosity through photography. Will you say more about that, please.

Today’s stop on the Virtual Book Tour is a review by Kate Kennington Steer at her lovely photography blog Shot at Ten Paces: Whether you are experienced DLSR photographer or use your mobile phone camera when and if you remember, this book will open your eyes still further to the possibilities of visualising God’s Spirit moving amongst us. Contemplative photography as a form turns conventional wisdom about how to take a good photograph on its head. Instead of being about ‘pointing-and-shooting’ or a technical exercise in ‘taking’ this form is all about waiting and receiving. It is about the inner

I am delighted to share today’s stop on the Virtual Book Tour at Sacred Life Arts where Dana Reynolds interviews me on the contemplative life, my new book, and where this adventure I am on is taking me.  Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle in, and stop by Dana’s sanctuary space for a listen. Click here to purchase a copy of Eyes of the Heart>> Previous Virtual Book Tour Stops: Interview with Christine at Faith Squared “Tending the Moments” Guest post by Christine at June Mears Driedger Interview with Christine at Always We Begin Again “Quieting the Mind through Contemplative Photography” Guest post by Christine

Today’s stop on the Virtual Book Tour is a review from Leanne Shawler at her blog Provoking Beauty.  Read on for her perspective: As Christine reveals in her book, with photography we shape our world to share who we are, what we believe and think. You see it every day on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Christine guides us to a different way: contemplative photography asks us to receive images instead of choosing images to take. Through this process, as well as later sitting with the photos, we catch a glimpse of God in our world. Click here to read the

Today’s stop on the Virtual Book Tour is at Faith Squared, where the lovely Liz Rasmussen interviews me and also is hosting a book giveaway if you leave a comment there before this Wednesday, May 29th: Alizabeth: You’ve said before that writing is your main creative form. How does photography support you in your writing, and vice versa? Christine: When I first started writing my blog, I loved the ability to post images to accompany the reflections I had written.  Somehow, the combination of word and image together seemed to express more than just one or the other. My training in the arts

The next stop on the Virtual Book Tour is at June Mears Driedger‘s blog with a guest post from me on Tending the Moments.  June is also hosting a book giveaway if you leave a comment at her blog before this Wednesday: You have undoubtedly had an experience similar to this: you are moving through a most ordinary day, when suddenly something shifts.  Where there was drudgery and habit, suddenly you become aware of the way sunlight is spilling across the living room rug and your heart breaks open at the splendor of it all.  Or you see a loved one