Home Inspiration Links Community Displays Artists Contact Us	You are invited to explore and learn from the teachers, God seekers, artists, and fellow humans who have INSPIRED The Grateful Gourd.
	The primary inspiration and source of all things is God.  We most sincerely are grateful to God for blessing us with our very lives.  We praise God for His mercy and grace as we seek His wisdom and understanding in all things.	Dr. Charles F. Stanley is Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, founder of In Touch Ministries, gifted author and photographer.  Dr. Stanley has inspired millions worldwide to grow in their relationship with God by sharing The Gospel with compassion, humility and sincerity.
	Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy is one of our most beloved authors. Count Tolstoy was a keen observer of human nature gifted by God to share these observations with the world. Inspiring countless people, including Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.  Tolstoy's rich literary legacy lives on in hearts and minds everywhere.	Jelaluddin Rumi was a 13th century Sufi poet whose yearning for God enabled him to compose some of humankind's most ecstatic poetry.  His poetry is recited by passionate seekers of God even today.  Rumi's poems have been beautifully translated into English by renowned Rumi scholar Coleman Barks.
	Lloyd Nick is the Museum Director for the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.  Mr. Nick is an artist and recognized leader in the art community who cosistently creates visionary exhibits that inspire and educate all who view them.  These compelling exhibits awaken a  yearning for God and peace within the observer and artist alike.	Nicholas Roerich was an artist, pacifist, seeker of God, explore and author.  His life was spent living and creating all over the world.  For many years, Roerich's yearning for God sent him and his family searching for the mystical Shambala. Roerich was a prolific painter of visionary art and over 2000 of his paintings can be seen at the Roerich Museum in New York City.
	Aldous Huxley remains one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.  At the core of Huxley's musings was a deep yearning for God.  One of Huxley's most inspirational works is an anthology of the mystical experience, The Perennial Philosophy.  Huxley was fascinated with the visionary experience and wrote and spoke eloquently about the topic throughout his life.