Tattered and Mended: The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul

by Cynthia Ruchti

Artisans can reclaim exquisite beauty from the broken, frayed, and hopefully shattered--perhaps once thought beyond repair. But what about us? What of the wounds that keep us from living the life we want to live?

In Tattered and Mended, readers walk through a gallery of reclaimed and restored art as well as broken and restored lives of those who have gone before us. With a gentle touch and personable wisdom, Cynthia Ruchti shows how even the most threadbare soul can once again find healing and hope.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christianity, Art

208 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2015

About the author

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed-in-Hope through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and through speaking for women's and writers' events. Her books have been recognized by many top industry readers', reviewers', library, retailer, and other honors. Cynthia is the Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and a literary agent with Books & Such Literary Management. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five (to date) grandchildren.

Reviews

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Tattered and Mended from LitFuse to participate in a blog tour and am behind because I have been tattered and am finally on the road to mended. Shingles with complications added to my chronic illness while getting ready to move and adopting a 60 lb shelter puppy who has grown to 90 lbs definitely makes for a tattered soul and body! This book shows us that we don’t have to hide our wounds or troubles, we mend them and/or reinvent or recycle ourselves. Picture God and Jesus doing shabby chic makeovers.

[Wendy Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tattered and Mended: The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul by Cynthia Ruchti was a wonderful and healing read in so many ways.
It belongs on the classics' shelf with books like Gifts from the Sea (Except this one contains gifts from the One who made the sea.)and One Thousand Gifts.
Hope, courage, wisdom, and serenity are found in this book. It's been stitched together with personal experience, tenderness, and humbleness that comes alongside readers whether their suffering is slight or severe.
It's a safe place for the wounded soul to land.

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the accounts of art restoration and mending that Cynthia Ruchti writes about in Tattered and Mended – as well as how she compares these methods to the ways God restores our own wounded places. Her commentary on darning eggs (did you have to Google them too?) hit home with me. Our society has become one in which we throw away anything that life wears out – a sock, a pair of jeans, old tennis shoes. Is it any wonder, therefore, that we also are so quick to throw away a marriage, a friendship, a dream, a faith when life rubs holes in them?

My favorite art discussion has to be the Japanese mending practices of sashiko and boro. I’m not going to spoil it for you by going into detail here but oh the bittersweet truth found in these ancient garments. “The mending process isn’t always a comfortable one. But it’s necessary to keep us from falling apart.”

Cynthia is beautifully tender with the wounded but leaves no room for compromise or excuse. Or for healing without the Healer and His Word. The pages of Tattered and Mended provide encouragement, camaraderie, and hope. Always hope. Refreshing hope in a society that looks increasingly hopeless.

This book will appeal to antiquers and art-appreciators but also to just the average person who like me starts out with a nice pretty skein of yarn and ends up with a tangled web of what was supposed to be a scarf. :-)

If you are wounded or you care about someone who is, this is also a book you need to read!

(I received a copy of this book in conjunction with the Litfuse blog tour in exchange for only my honest review.)

Read my full review here: https://readingismysuperpower.wordpre...

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

TATTERED AND MENDED is a book that ministered to me the day I opened it. I’d had a rough day that didn’t go anything according to plan. I’d prepared so carefully, but someone on another end hadn’t done their job. I was frustrated, with a stress headache, barely walking due to physical pain from standing in lines for hours and hours, and close to tears. When I came home and decided to unwind by reading, I picked up this book, and I read:

God is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful.
God is not unaware of our need.
God’s provided in the past. He will again.
God knew this was coming before we did. He has answers prepared already.
God won’t abandon us in trying times. He draws us nearer. Nearer. Nearer.
~~Cynthia Ruchti, Tattered and Mended, page 22

I cried. But this time, not due to frustration. This was more of a crawling into my Heavenly Father’s arms, curling up against His chest, and soaking of the comfort of the God who loves me. Loves me enough to minister to me, through a book, and provide exactly what I needed when I needed it. Just thinking that makes me want to cry again.

TATTERED AND MENDED needs to be in every church library, counselor’s library, public library, pastor’s office, and Christian home, so the words can reach out to hurting people and help them start to mend.

[Hallie (Hallie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also posted on Book by Book.

After reading the fictional As Waters Gone By just a couple months ago, I found picking up Tattered and Mended: The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul, a nonfiction title by the same author, Cynthia Ruchti, provided for an interesting reading experience. With a similar message of hope and healing, as well as excellent storytelling, Tattered and Mended proves to be as engaging as As Waters Gone By. Ruchti compellingly shares stories from both personal experiences and the Bible to highlight God’s desire to heal, restore, mend our brokenness, hurts, tatters. Though the book seemed a bit repetitive to me after a few chapters, it offers necessary reminders and encouragements to see the art and beauty of God’s work to mend. Overall, I enjoyed Tattered and Mended and I would recommend it as a worthwhile read.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of Tattered and Mended and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tattered And Mended is an exquisitely written book that invites us – through story-telling, artistic metaphors, biblical guidance, and reference to ancient and modern healing techniques – to bring our tattered and threadbare souls to God for true restoration, soul repair and healing.

By bringing the “why me” life circumstances that shred our souls into the place where our stories intersect with God’s story, Cynthia offers us hope in her most heartfelt book to date.

Tattered And Mended is a very special book that gently encourages us to invite God into the places of your life where we most need mending.

I felt refreshed after reading this book because the focus wasn’t on us and our problems – the focus was on God and His glory.

I highly recommend this book to you!

To read my review in its entirety, visit Create With Joy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher. However, the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artisans can reclaim exquisite beauty from the broken, frayed, and hopefully shattered--perhaps once thought beyond repair. But what about us? What of the wounds that keep us from living the life we want to live?
In Tattered and Mended, readers walk through a gallery of reclaimed and restored art as well as broken and restored lives of those who have gone before us. With a gentle touch and personable wisdom, Cynthia Ruchti shows how even the most threadbare soul can once again find healing and hope.

--My thoughts. What a wonderful book. So many fantastic nuggets to chew and meditate on. "Nothing provides as fascinating a read as the story of the wounded made whole." I loved that. There are so many in here I could share them forever. I think this book is an excellent one to share with many who are just hurting today. Be blessed and be a blessing and share today.

[Janka H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work of deep compassion and wisdom, this book tackles the topic of suffering and being mended very relatably. One of the best I have read about the suject!
And I can not commend enough the analogy between the art restoration and the soul restoration. How suitable and how very artistic! Also very female (males are surely not excluded!), the gentle art of bringing beauty from the shreds, tatters and broken pieces.

Ever hear of kintsugi? This has been my favourite metaphor when thinking about my processes of healing. Now I have some more to take into the consideration!
Kintsugi ("golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.

Sure, the books does not answer the searing questions of reason of pain/injustice/price of the suffering. We might never know the answers on this side of life. But the authoress knows what the suffering is, she does not diminish it, touches it gently and some of the insights are superb and healing, too.

Recommended read.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an encouraging, contemplative book - thoughtfully written with many artistic analogies to make us think about how God heals our tattered lives, making something new from the tragedies and experiences we have lived through. Using comparisons to painting, quilting, jewelry, watches, furniture, stained glass and more, author Cynthia Ruchti says of God "The act of creation draws Him near, or draws us near to Him. There's healing in His presence. No wonder so many wounded find hope they longed for during the process of creating, singing, worshiping, painting. Hope hangs thick where He is present."

Ruchti compares physical and soulful healing to refurbishing, layering, patching, embellishing, embroidering, upcycling from vintage items. I appreciated her concept of God as an artist - he is the creator of everything, after all.

This compact book would make a special gift for someone living with wounds, scars, and brokenness as it provides hope and healing.

[Sue Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a reading program and was very disappointed. Maybe if I were a crafter I would be able to feel the "tattered and mended" analogy and compare it with life. Instead, I felt that the author had different crafts in mind and found a story or even created the story to match it. Using tattered and mended as a way of describing the mending of a soul should have been powerful. In my opinion, this book was not.

[Patricia M Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tattered and Mended was written to help those in situations of need. I can see that the book was written for the ordinary person who needs thought about their lives and how others have been in simular situations. The author used a number of examples to get her point across. It was a bit confusing as to what story the author was refering to. In other words the story changed so often it was hard to keep on track.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

God's ability to intervene and restore our lives is always fresh and humbling. This book is all about healing and restoring the broken soul. It is a good reminder that God can restore the most difficult to restore. The book is a bit repetitive but worth the read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter contained such wonderful nuggets about how God uses the broken and painful parts of our lives to create beauty. It's worth referencing again and again.

[Lydia Gates · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I thought it would be. Lots of positive scripture. Art connected with mending. Ideas for mending and prayer at end.
This was a 2018 United Methodist Women's Reading Program book .

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up at a used book sale. The title and subtitle both jumped out at me. It's pretty good, with a few gems of wisdom I'll have to pass on to fellow spiritual companions / directors.

[Julie Lanham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that I’m not alone in the feelings I have. Cynthia’s words somehow gave me permission that it’s ok to feel the feelings I have and to heal. All with the help of God!

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Sunday School class is considering this as a book to study. I don't see it as "study-able" but it was an inspirational read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's counterproductive for us to wait until we're ready to heal. We'll never be ready for the mending process. God invites us to heal anyway." Tattered and Mended: The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul

I received this book as an incentive for volunteering on the publicity street team. I love adding books to my collection and this one will definitely go on my favorites book shelf.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance. At least physically. When it comes to soul wounds, I am tender as a newborn baby, shrinking away from the harsh lights and screaming out my shock at the rude awakening I've just received. My world, which started out as warm and inviting and comforting, gets shattered by the curve balls life throws at me. The death of a grandparent that ripped my family to shreds. Growing up with a father who maintained a cold, emotional distance to hide his own wounded soul, never realizing the shattered heart of his daughter lay bleeding in his hands. A friend whose world rapidly shrinks as his severe fears and depression destroy whatever semblance of a relationship we had.

After facing these brutal attacks on my heart and soul, I'm left feeling broken and unfixable. Wondering how God can make art out of the messes in my life.

Reading Tattered and Mended, I realized a few things. Oh, the truths are not new concepts. But Cynthia Ruchti's words are hemmed in hope and shine new light on the age old truths. She writes in such a way that just goes against the culture of this day and age to prod us out of our numbed stupor. Sometimes I think that we, nowadays, do not realize all the pain we hide in our souls because we have been taught to shove the unpleasant, uncomfortable parts of our existence in to the darkest, deepest corner of our hearts and forget about it.

Tattered and Mended evokes a sense of poetry and a healing, soothing wave of words that breathe into that dark, deep corner and bring forth our desperate longing to be healed and restored. Heavily laden with scripture and real life examples, Cynthia Ruchti pulls on the artistic threads throughout history to show and affirm a solid truth.

God never promised a painless, butterflies and rainbows existence. We live for a few brief decades, a mere whisper of time in the grand scheme of things, but we experience SO much in those short moments. Pain is part and parcel of our experience. Hurt and wounds happen in so many ways on so many different levels. What matters is what God is doing in the midst of our breaking to not only restore, but to create something beautiful and new. It doesn't mean we lose those scars and wounds or forget about the pain. But as she states in a chapter on tapestry restoration,

"No scar is inherently beautiful. But it can be perceived as beautiful because of what it represents."

The beauty of restoration is not in a scar-free, wound-free existence. That would be cold, brittle, and lacking the Divine Artist's signature. It's when the Divine Artist takes our broken, fractured pieces and creates a new story, interwoven with the blood-red threads of His Son's triumph on the cross.

We live in a sin-laden world. Pain and suffering and soul-deep wounding is inevitable. The stories in Tattered and Mended offer the hope only given by a God whose tender hand creates, restores, and redeems us for His glory and purpose.

My copy of Tattered and Mended is already soaked through with tears. However, they are healing tears that remind me of the Artist's healing hands.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynthia Ruchti is quickly becoming a favorite author, as she has a special gift for reaching into hearts and leaving behind tendrils of hope. Her books have the unique ability to instill in the spirit a desire to connect with God and what He is doing - especially if what He is doing is not what we want or expect and instead seems dark and strange. In those times it would be easy to sink into despair, but Cynthia steps in and offers this thought in Chapter 1: "People are tattered. Some say, 'Then let's make tattered fashionable.' But God invites us to mend."

To help us grasp how God desires to mend our tattered souls, Cynthia illustrated how master craftsmen restore things like tapestries, quilts, art, stained glass, jewelry, etc. She tells about the expert knowledge each artisan must have, and the painstaking care that goes into each project. Who has more expert knowledge of souls and spirits than their Creator? And His care for His children far surpasses the most delicate mending techniques the world has known.

I loved that Cynthia doesn't brush past the things that wound our lives. "Pain is not a choice," she affirms on page 163. I don't think any of us would choose it if it were something we could pass by. But nothing touches our lives without God's knowledge, and He has a plan for our recovery from the very beginning. "That's the artistic eye. It sees pre-art in our tatteredness. Before the crisis hits, he's planned what he'll do here, and here, and here, to allow the art to emerge from the dark, cold, damp cave of pain." (Chapter 10)

Seeing God work beauty from our worst moments doesn't mean they are no longer part of our lives. "Have you ever assumed, like I have, that the only legitimate healing is complete healing? The only soul-mending that counts is eliminating the pain, fully restoring what was lost, reclaiming everything we once had? What if sometimes, rarely but sometimes, the outline of the hurt tells the story more effectively than if it were erased? Undetectable? No evidence we were ever wounded? What if?" (Chapter 5) We aren't in charge of our healing. We can cooperate with God and let Him work His artistry on our worn places, knowing that what He chooses for the repair still might not be what we would choose. But His faithfulness and His ability to weave beauty is not limited by human scope.

This book ministered to me in a very personal way. I had grown weary and tired of my life's struggles - the tears in the fabric, the frayed edges that I can do nothing about. To be reminded of all the ways God is working and using these things in my life brought an incredible strength. I believe anyone who is going through a time of feeling worn and wondering if God could possibly be working good through their present circumstances would benefit greatly from this book. Be sure to put on some good worship music, surround yourself with loving community, and remember that our Father has a multitude of ways He is working to, as the chapter titles in this book put it, rescue, reconstruct, recycle, restore, reclaim, repair, recover, redeem, refurbish, and regenerate you and your tattered soul.

I received my copy of the book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynthia Ruchti, in her new book, “Tattered and Mended” published by Abingdon Press gives us The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul.

From the back cover: A crumbling statue. A torn tapestry. A discolored painting.

Artisans can reclaim exquisite beauty from the broken, frayed, and hopelessly shattered—perhaps once thought beyond repair. But what about us? What of the scars and broken places we hide inside? What of the wounds that keep us from living the life we want to live? Can our tattered souls ever be mended?

In Tattered and Mended, author Cynthia Ruchti offers and invitation to think about soul-mending as a divine art form, to show us that God doesn’t just heal wounded souls, He heals artfully.

With a gentle touch and personable wisdom, Ruchti offers hope for your own broken places. She opens the door to a gallery of the reclaimed and restored, reflects on a tapestry of stories not unlike your own, and helps you discover that even the most threadbare soul can once again find healing and hope.

If a statue gets damaged there is a special artist that is called to repair it. If a painting gets damaged there is a different special artist who will repair it. How about a damaged tapestry or stained glass? You guessed it special artists to repair and restore. I never thought about it before however if we have special artists to bring back to full glory art that once was believed to be beyond repair then how much more can we believe God to do? Each one of us is a work of art, His art. And that means He is the only artist that can repair and restore us back to the masterpiece He created us to be. Ms. Ruchti has given us eleven chapters that give us hope and confidence that God will take our tattered and broken lives and, will not only heal you, but make you better than you were before. This is a wonderful book that you might refer back to again when you feel damaged. Ms. Ruchti has given us lots to think about. This will also make a wonderful gift for family and friends so that they can be healed and restored as well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:
For years, society and especially the church required that we hide our brokenness and pretend that all was well, even when it was terribly broken. Now, people have become comfortable with our tattered edges, our character weaknesses, our "old, familiar sins," and forgotten that God doesn't intend to leave us in a state of disrepair. God calls us to something other than the wild pendulum swing from hiding our scars to flaunting them.

Rather than resigning ourselves to desperately clinging to shreds of recovery, or discarding the broken, threadbare, scarred relationships, we can engage in the process of healing through Christ. Jesus reclaims what we fear was damaged beyond repair. His soul-mend leaves hope where the wound once was. And, as we engage in the process of healing, we grow in appreciation of how God tends and transforms our wounds.

My Review:
What does it mean to be torn? Broken? Unfixable? Or just plain sad? When changes happen in our lives whether wanted or needed they are still beyond our control. Even the loss of a loved one is beyond our control. God Himself creates our stops and our starts, and He alone is the only one that knows when "our time" has come. But just because all of this rests on Him, we still get hurt in the process somehow. And many of us stay broken for a very long time.

The author explains how God can love us through it and heal us of our wounds no matter how deep. She equates our souls and our creator to art and an artist. She explains the ins and outs of grief and how it can bare down on our souls but Christ will have the victory in the end because He will use this to grow you and to bring you closer to Him.

Tattered And Mended is a riveting book about the way a hurt soul can be fixed. Each page had amazing stories with scriptures to back the main point. Cynthia Ruchti does an amazing job triggering your mind to think of how awesome Gods love really is. I enjoyed how intriguing the stories in this book are, they grab your attention and never let go.

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from Litfuse.

[Janelle Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first got my hands on this book, Tattered and Mended, by Cynthia Ruchti, I was not sure what it was going to be about. Obviously this book is for all of us that have been wounded in some way, and really, who has not?

tattered

When we think of wounded so often we think of the people who lost so much. Wounded souls are not always that severe though, sometimes they are simply hurt, damages, mistreated.

So as I read through Ms. Ruchti’s new book about the art of healing, I realized that so many of us never take the time to heal our wounds. Instead of really taking them to the Lord to allow him to real and restore them, we wear them like badges, bring them up in conversation like the news, and carry them around like a disattached appendage.

Ms. Ruchti takes the reader through many different artistic venues to demonstrate just how we can follow those forms of art and learn how to heal the wounds of our very own soul, in the end making them more valuable.

My favorite chapter of Tattered and Mended was the Quilt Restoration. As someone who sews, I love to sew new things from new fabric. I also enjoy mending and repurposing items though! So the idea of restoring a damaged quilt resonates with me, to find that blanket full of memories and repair it to see more memory making days is something I could get excited about. In the same chapter the author shares a physical struggle she faced that lasted almost a year and a half. The same struggle my good friend still deals with almost daily : Lyme. Looking at Lyme from Ms. Ruchti’s perspective of how God restored her was insightful and hopeful for me.

I enjoyed this sweet book, it is not a book you will want to sit and read at one time, it is best enjoyed while meandering along. Hearing the truths Cynthia Ruchti shares in the pages and allowing those truths to sink into yourself deeply – that is how this book should be enjoyed! I recommend this book for everyone, because again, how many of us are not wounded in some way?


NOTE: I received a copy of Tattered and Mended in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"People are tattered. Some say, 'Then let's make tattered fashionable.' But God invites us to mend.""

I love, love, love Cynthia Ruchti's writings, both fiction and non-fiction. Hemmed in hope perfectly captures the theme of all of her books, and Tattered and Mended could be considered the hallmark for this message. In a throwaway world where shabby chic dominates decorating magazines and crafters repurpose discarded junk into decorative and useful treasure, Ruchti shares how God is able to beautifully restore a life that some might think is beyond repair. Each chapter highlights a restorative art, some of which I had not encountered before, and then Ruchti draws parallels between that method and the work the Master Artist undertakes to mend a soul. This is a book for the heart, and one to savor, reflect on, and read again. The first chapter prompted me to dig out the sock darning egg my mom used when I was a child and keep it out as a reminder that while socks with holes may get tossed in the trash today, God doesn't discard his tattered children. Real-life stories add a personal touch to this book, and Ruchti's gentle prose made me feel as though I were having coffee with a mentor as I read. Don't miss this wise and encouraging book. Grab one for yourself and for someone you know who is feeling a bit tattered.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a digital copy of this book free from Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading Tattered and Mended I did not know that I would enjoy it so much. I thought it would be another book telling me about God healing brokenness in us. I had no idea that once I began seeing all the book had to offer that I would read it straight through without stopping. Thank you Litfuse Publicity Group for providing me a free copy in exchange for my honest review. It was easy to read and it was interesting to read. Cynthia Ruchti compares art being restored physically to our souls being restored spiritually. This kept my attention since I am creative by nature and art is about creativity.

It is obvious that Ruchti did some research to learn the various techniques to repair the art she was discussing. The ancient mending technique called sashiko was unfamiliar to me so I liked reading about it. I could relate to the chapter on Broken Furniture Refurbishing since I am a dumpster diver at heart. I have rescued several discarded items from the curbside and made them into objects that I enjoy seeing and using around my house.

Ruchti feels that people have just accepted the fact that it is the norm to be tattered and do nothing about it. She also explains that God wants us to be completely healed by Him, with everything once tattered being mended by His touch. This is why I recommend Tattered and Mended as it could possibly help the reader better understand ways God artfully restores our lives and they will chose mending over remaining tattered.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an artist, sewer, and crafter, I've repaired many clothing items, afghans, quilts, and even socks. My daughter's dog chewed a hole in the quilt I designed just for her. With a bit of sadness, I pulled scraps of the fabric from my box and stitched over the huge tear. I couldn't restore it to the crisp freshness it once had, but I could mend it and make it beautiful and useful again.
In Cynthia's book, Tattered and Mended, she tells several stories about souls who are wounded. When it comes right down to it, aren't we all. There have been times in my life when I was sure I couldn't heal. But my heavenly Father knew better. He poured his love over me and soothed my heartache. When I read what Cynthia wrote, "It's not our work, The soul wasn't our invention. It was his." I sighed in relief knowing God has my soul caring in his hands.
This is a beautiful account of a life lived alongside the tattered and wounded. With every chapter, I knew Cynthia had lived what she wrote. She's not just spouting Bible verses. Instead she's in the ditches with the rest of us walking beside the sad, lonely, and broken-hearted, sometimes being the one who's hurting. This author is real and transparent in her experience and wisdom. As an artist, I love the examples she uses in each chapter to show restoration. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs encouragement or insight into the art of healing.

[Katherine Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cynthia Ruchti is all about hope. She refers to the note she has tacked up in her work space: I can’t unravel, I’m hemmed in hope. I’ve found that Hope and its companion, Redemption, are significant themes in every book she writes.

Which is certainly the case here, in the stories she tells and the conclusions she draws. The pages are filled with Cynthia’s trademark, warm-hearted wisdom, her claims are supported at every turn by well-chosen Scripture. Even so, this particular book didn’t touch me in the way some of her others have (most notably, Ragged Hope). If I had to name a reason, I’d say it was the stories. I wanted more. Storytelling is Cynthia’s gift,and this book to me felt like something else–more a reflection on a theme than a collection of stories. Which is fine, of course, nothing wrong with that–except that, because of my own preconceived ideas, I expected something different. So it didn’t speak to my heart in the same way some of her other books have done. It was the difference between being told rather than being shown through story.

However, as she says in her introduction, Cynthia writes for those whose souls have been shredded by life’s circumstances. It could very well be that Ruchti’s wise ruminations are exactly what some of those tattered souls need.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

[Pamela Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The crowd treated him as if he were a disturbance, when he was actually the object of God’s attention.” This sentence from Cynthia’s Ruchti’s thought provoking book about The Art of Healing the Wounded Soul, stopped me cold. That’s how I’ve felt in the deepest part of my being while going through suffering that I thought know one could understand. That is how I think people look at the disfigured, the mentally ill, and the homeless, those that don’t quite fit. But God doesn’t look at us that way; He sees beauty in our brokenness and more than that “God creates art from our brokenness.” What people do for used, abandoned furniture: recycle, up-cycle, repurpose etc is what God does for us in our brokenness, our wounded-ness, and our shattered-ness. Do you remember that Janis Joplin song “Take another little piece of my heart?” Well Cynthia’s book reminds us that God collects those little pieces. He is the divine creator who made us out of nothing and He can make something beautiful out of the pieces of our broken hearts. Everything God touches becomes art.

If you’re going through hard times read this book. If your family member is hurting get this book. If you want to understand God’s heart this is the book for you. For everyone in need of healing: body, mind and soul this is a book full of insight and wisdom. I read one the authors’ fiction novels first and loved her writing, this is just as good: definitely a 5 star keeper.

[LeAnne Klopfenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a list of things you can do in order to experience personal restoration & healing, please know two things: 1. You will NOT find that in "Tattered and Mended". 2. There can never be--will never be--a book where a list of head knowledge will restore an aching heart. Instead, what Cynthia is able to pour out onto the pages of "Tattered and Mended" are examples of beauty within brokenness, strength that comes during healing, and HOPE that is found within our fragile, broken state when we hand Christ the pieces and cling to the promise that "No tattered soul escapes God's notice" (p 126). The stories and examples (both from the Bible as well as current displays of wounded souls) will grip every reader in very unique & powerful ways.

Pastors, mentors, and anyone who focuses on Biblical Counseling will find this book to be an invaluable resource. When Cynthia mentions meditation, she immediately provides the reader with the words of Psalm 139:1-4 (p 47). Grief, restoration, crying out for help--scripture is woven throughout the book.

Truth. Hope. Beauty from Ashes. Wonderful words for those going through pain, and those who can discover "We loan strength to one another" (p 120). A wonderful resource for any reader.

**I received a complimentary copy of 'Tattered and Mended' per my honest review.**

[Julie D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all have times in our lives when we feel tattered - frayed around the edges - from what life hands us. We can feel like nothing can repair the hurts or make us feel whole again but, as Cynthia points out so beautifully in this book, God can take our battered selves and make something truly beautiful and artful.

I love the stories she shares in this book. Sometimes when we're going through things, we feel so alone, yet these stories reinforce to us that everyone goes through trouble and heartache and that God is there for us all.

As in all her books, Cynthia shares Scriptures that reinforce what God tells us in His Word. I really like this as it helps me more than anything to have Scripture in my heart. I also really enjoyed the end of the book where she has suggestions to help us heal and mend when we're going through a hard experience. Some of it was obvious - eating right and getting enough rest - however, she also shares Scriptures and ideas for resting and restoring. I found this very helpful.

This is definitely a book that I will re-read and keep on hand for when those hard times come. It's a book that you want to sit with and really ponder as you read and let the truths of God's love and restoration sink into your heart. I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group

[R.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Tattered and Mended is a beautiful devotional that I really enjoyed reading. It’s one of those books that has one liners that you want to quote all of the time and underline as you read (maybe even write on sticky notes and stick ’em all over your house!). Cynthia has a beautiful writing style that is easy to engage with and understand with creative illustrations and powerful messages. I love her “Calls to action” at the end of the book as they challenge you to live out everything you learned in easy, doable actions.

Though I, personally, did not have a specifiiic heart-wrenching dilemma in mind while reading through this, there were still plenty of things that I was able to get from this book that could be both used now, and in preparing for future situations (because they will come). So I strongly encourage you, especially if you are trying to overcome a wound, to pick up this book as I am sure it will be incredibly beneficial to you.

So I rate Tattered and Mended, 5 out of 5 stars and I will probably be looking into this author’s books for Bible studies in the future. Thanks for reading!

You can read this review, as well as others, on my blog at http:// acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com