When you hear beautiful music or stand before a work of art, have you ever felt a stirring within, a sense of something more? Art Is How God Loves Us is a radiant exploration of art as a spiritual gateway. In this deeply personal and spiritually rich book, Merideth Hite Estevez--Juilliard-trained oboist, writer, and creative coach--beautifully illustrates how a spiritual perspective on art guides us toward our Creator and our most authentic selves. Through stories of music, visual art, nature, and everyday life, Estevez reveals how beauty and brokenness alike can become places of divine connection. Whether standing before van Gogh's olive trees, listening to Brahms in a moment of doubt, or witnessing the chaos of parenting, we see how God's love is expressed through the creative process--both for those who appreciate art and for those who create it. Estevez redefines art not as a measure of talent but as "Atoms Responding to Transcendence"--a way God speaks, heals, and draws us closer. With poetic language and theological depth, she encourages us to see ourselves as works of art: beloved, unfinished, and held by a Creator who never stops creating. Complete with reflective exercises ("Ars Nova"), a study guide, and a creative creed, this book is ideal for anyone longing to reconnect with joy, beauty, and divine presence. Art Is How God Loves Us is a celebration of creativity as communion--and a call to live as God's art in the world. " Art Is How God Loves Us is a radiant guide back to wonder and to the truth that our lives are works of art held in divine love. Drawing on her deep experience as a musician and coach, Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez weaves personal stories with a reverent, artful attention to the luminous within our lives. Here is a call to remember that we are, in every sense, beautifully and wonderfully made." -- Maria Bowler , author of Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting a Life Beyond Productivity "Part memoir, part spiritual guidebook, Art Is How God Loves Us is a gorgeous and deeply heartfelt look at our most important conversations: the ones we have with the Divine. How can we dance with creativity as we would with the Divine? Estevez shows us the way. Her insightful reflections on art are far-reaching and fascinating. Her deeply personal stories take readers around the globe and into her heart. She shows how the holy is illuminated through the art we encounter and the art we make ourselves. The book is filled with inspiring, playful exercises that invite any person--self-declared artist or otherwise--to deepen their relationship with themselves, the created, and the Creator. I'll be coming back to this book again and again!" -- Heather Lanier , author of Raising a Rare Girl and Psalms of Unknowing "Merideth Hite Estevez invites us to a feast of poetry, paintings, and paying attention to all the ways God revels in God's creation. An awakening to ourselves and the world, this book is a love letter to the millions of ways God cares for us and enriches our lives with beauty." -- Erin Hicks Moon , cohost of the Faith Adjacent and Shelf Respect podcasts; Publishers Weekly bestselling author of I've Got Questions: The Spiritual Practice of Having It Out with God "I was brought to tears multiple times while reading this book. Merideth Hite Estevez's words will break you open, leaving you teetering on the edge of heartache and joy. Her stories and lessons are uniquely hers and yet strangely familiar. Art Is How God Loves Us will unravel you, but whatever it tears down, Estevez rebuilds with hope and truth. This book is for every season, feast or famine, and for every person, artist or otherwise: because, as she highlights, each one of us is an artist in our own right-- living and creating in abundance--if only we have eyes to see." -- Jennafer Newberry , Broadway actress "With an artful weaving of intellect and intimacy, this book invites deep reflection and gentle transformation. Writing masterfully with warmth and disarming honesty, Merideth Hite Estevez has rekindled my spiritual imagination--both as a creator and as one who has known long-suffering--offering another tender thread of healing for my heart." -- Kristin Vanderlip , writer, artist, and founder of The Pen & Mend Collective "[Estevez's] meditations on the mysteries of art and creativity are expansive, joyful, and peppered with valuable questions. . . . The result is a boon for burned-out creatives." -- Publishers Weekly Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a coach, educator, oboist, and author of The Artist's Joy . Through her workshops, her award-winning podcast Artists for Joy , and her one-to-one coaching, she is a spiritual space-maker for artists, leading thousands in various fields to creative recovery. Dr. Estevez has performed with top orchestras and holds degrees in oboe from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. She is also a Certified Start with Heart Facilitator . She lives in Metro Detroit, Mich