When I first heard that Andrew Peterson, a songwriter, recording artist, and fiction-writer, was releasing a non-fiction book titled Adorning the Dark, I pre-ordered it right away because Andrew’s work really resonates.

About 18 months ago, I fell in love with his amazing song “Is He Worthy?” and really his entire album titled Resurrection Letters Volume I. His folksy songwriting style brings to mind Caedmon’s Call, the Ragamuffin Band, and the late Rich Mullins, a very gifted musician whose songs I first heard in college and still enjoy listening to a couple decades later.

Reading Adorning the Dark, I learned that those same artists actually influenced and encouraged Andrew early in his music career. Likewise, Andrew is himself a Barnabas type. He’s committed to encouraging other artists — whether they are musicians, writers, or painters. He’s been doing so for years through his ministry The Rabbit Room, which fosters Christ-centered community and spiritual formation through music, story, and art. And now his book Adorning the Dark extends that ministry in the form of a memoir/handbook.

One big take away from the book is the emphasis not just on writing but also on finishing. Every artist is tempted to slow down or get distracted or quit altogether, and so Andrew reminds his readers, “…it is only by discipline that you’ll finish, and it is only in finishing that you’ll be able to offer up your humble work to those weary souls who may need it.”

Adorning the Dark highlights the need to serve the work and serve the audience, too. Andrew writes, “Those of us who write, who sing, who paint, must remember that to a child a song may glow like a nightlight in a scary bedroom. It may be the only thing holding back the monsters. That story may be the only beautiful, true thing that makes it through all the ugliness of a little girl’s world to rest in her secret heart. May we take that seriously. It is our job, it is our ministry, it is the sword we swing in the Kingdom, to remind children that the good guys win, that the stories are true, and that a fool’s hope may be the best kind.”

If you’re like me and have a few unfinished creative projects gathering dust, Adorning the Dark may be just the encouragement and inspiration you need to carry it on to completion for the sake of adorning this dark world with the light of Christ.

Side note: As I write this during Advent, I am listening to Andrew Peterson’s album Behold the Lamb, which I highly recommend. And I’d be remiss not to suggest that Andrew’s fantasy-adventure series, The Wingfeather Saga, would make an excellent gift for any young readers on your Christmas list. My kids have thoroughly enjoyed the series and are hoping to soon update their personal libraries with the new hardbacks that feature captivating new cover art and illustrations.