Tattered and Mended: The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul
God
doesn’t just create something beautiful
from broken pieces. He makes art.
Author Cynthia
Ruchti pens a new book that is “hemmed in hope” for hurting readers
For anyone who has been battered and bruised by the storms of life, award-winning
author Cynthia Ruchti has penned her new book, Tattered and Mended: the Art of Healing the Wounded Soul (Abingdon Press/July 7, 2015/ISBN: 978-1426787690 / $15.99). We all have
moments when we feel shattered, wounded and needing to piece together the broken
pieces of our hearts and lives.
The idea for the book came to Ruchti one day as she sat at her desk with
her fingers resting on the worn keys of her computer keyboard. She typed a
three-line premise that she says seemed to come not from her mind, but the deep
end of her soul:
People are tattered. Some say, “Then let’s make
tattered fashionable.”
But God invites us to mend.
Ruchti says the concept lingered with her as she thought about the people in today’s culture who have given up on ever finding true mending,
opting instead to wear their brokenness as a badge of honor. It’s a survival
method but a dangerous one. “Some have lost hope that they could ever claw
their way back to wholeness,” Ruchti reveals. “The truth is that God takes the
tattered and shattered and makes art of those shards, those frayed threads.”
Using the allegory of both ancient and modern creative mending
techniques, Ruchti paints a compelling picture of how God not only sews the
ripped fabric of our lives but turns our pain into something beautiful and
noteworthy “I’ve filled a Pinterest board with examples of the Japanese sashiko and boro mending
stitches,” Ruchti explains. “Those delicate, precise, careful stitches from
hundreds of years ago were meant to strengthen weak fabric on common items. Now
they hang in museums, admired by people like you and me who marvel at their
workmanship and beauty. I’m overwhelmed by the comparisons here to how the end
result of our soul mending can be an encouragement to someone else, possibly
many years later.”
While Ruchti admits no formula exists for those searching for wholeness, Tattered and Mended focuses on
understanding and creating a soul environment conducive to mending, and includes
practical tips, action points, questions to ask and prayers for the journey to healing.
Ruchti hopes Tattered and Mended reminds readers that it’s one thing to believe God can heal our wounded souls — it’s another thing to understand His intention is to make artwork from our messes and distresses. With a gentle touch and personable wisdom, Ruchti shows how even the most threadbare soul can once again become a thing of true beauty.
Cynthia
Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope through
her novels, novellas, nonfiction books, articles and devotionals, drawing from
33 years of on-air radio ministry. Ruchti has 15 books in print and has
received numerous awards and nominations, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice, ForeWord
Reviews Book of the Year nominations, two Selah Awards, Christian Retailing’s
BEST and ACFW’s Carol Award, among other honors.
One of Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow
in their craft. To that end, she serves as co-director of the Green Lake Christian
Writers Conference, has served as worship and devotions staff for the
Write-to-Publish conference and teaches at other conferences such as the Blue
Ridge Christian Writers’ Conference and CLASSeminars Writers’ Conferences as
opportunities arise. She also serves as the professional relations liaison for
American Christian Fiction Writers.
Ruchti speaks frequently for women’s groups and serves on her
church’s worship team and creative arts team. She and her husband live in the
heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.
To keep up
with Cynthia Ruchti, visit www.cynthiaruchti.com. You can also
become a fan on Facebook (Cynthia Ruchti) or follow
her on Twitter (@cynthiaruchti) and Pinterest (cynthiaruchti).
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