Book Review: Getting To Know God

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5

This book provides a rare opportunity to view passages from the private journal of celebrated artist Alice Ann Dobbin. “Getting To Know God; An Artist’s Journey” is an awe-inspiring collection of personal reflections, meditations, prayers and songs of praise to God. The author recognizes that her fears, feelings and thoughts are shared by many. The poignant prose in this book will encourage, inspire and give hope for a better tomorrow.

About The Author
  Alice Ann Dobbin has been drawing and painting since she was old enough to hold a pencil. She was selected to attend special classes for artistically gifted children while still in elementary school.

Ms. Dobbin graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in journalism and advertising. She later obtained her art degree from Washington and Jefferson College where she was awarded the prestigious Beta Scholar designation by the president of the college.

Ms. Dobbin and her husband own the Doddin Art Gallery in Johns Island, South Carolina.  Her art work appears in numerous private, public and corporate collections throughout the United States, Europe and Australia.

The Art Will Touch Your Imagination
“Getting To Know God” includes thirty-five original oil paintings that feature many aspects of nature. Ms. Dobbin portrays the beauty of nature in the most exquisite manner. She uses her God-given talent to highlight the wonder of creation.

The first chapter in the book is titled “Where Would I Be Without the Lord” and the painting “Storm Rising” is used to illustrate this chapter on faith. This painting features huge dark clouds invading the pale blue sky. You can see hints of the sunset on the horizon. This painting brings back vivid memories of hurricanes and tropical storms that I have experienced while living on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Ms. Dobbin does a lovely job painting birds, wildlife, farm animals and pets. She shares a painting of a mother with her baby lamb in the chapter “Being a Parent”.  The painting portrays the vulnerability of the lamb and the protective eye of his mother. The author expresses the challenges and joys of being a parent. She believes the best gifts a parent can give are a happy childhood, a sense of self-esteem and a heart full of faith in God.

Comforting Verses and Sincere Prayer
Alice Dobbin shares many of her favorite verses from the Bible in the chapters of this book. The treasured verses bestow faith, hope, love and peace. These are verses that Alice has reflected on during the most difficult and joyous times of her life. The prayers that are included in this book reflect the close personal relationship that she has with the Lord.  The author believes that “the more we seek the Lord and ways to please him, the more we will learn of different ways to pray”.

Reflection and Meditation
“Getting To Know God” includes a collection of intimate writings, reflections and meditations. The author’s sensitive portrayal of life is a testimony to her strong faith in the Lord. She writes about getting to know God and developing a personal relationship with Him.

Ms. Dobbin declares her thoughts in the following uplifting passages;

“As we commit the work of our hands
And our energy to You,
Small “miracles” begin to happen.”

“The small miracles in our lives
Are the many blessings
God has given us.”

These prayers, meditations and songs of praise were not written with the intent to publish them. The author has decided to share her personal writings with the hope that her readers will draw strength and comfort from them.

My Thoughts
I found reading this book to be a visual and emotional gift. I have always been an artist at heart and I truly enjoyed the beautiful oil paintings that illustrate this book. The author was able to successfully harmonize the content of the paintings with the subject of her prayers and meditations. This made the overall reading experience fulfilling and rewarding.

Alice Dobbin is an authentic woman of faith. This book will take you to higher levels of spiritual development and maturity. It demonstrates that we are not alone. We all need each other and we need God.

I recommend this book for your personal use and to share with loved ones. I think that reading a few chapters from this book at bedtime will provide a peaceful closure to the challenges of the day. I hope this book will inspire others to use their special gifts and talents to bring glory to God. “Getting To Know God” is available from Westbow Press, Amazon and in print and digital format at Barnes & Noble. Get a copy for yourself and another one for a treasured friend.

I want to thank Alice Dobbin for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review. If you would like to learn more about the book, please view Getting To Know God [Book Trailer].

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