Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chelsea Woodward, Associate Publicist
cwoodward@penguinrandomhouse.com
(719) 268-1915
Songwriter, Visual Artist Create Fresh Approach to Prayer with Poetry, Imagery
“Prayer
is beautiful, reflective, and powerfully affecting. What Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson have given us is not simply a book about prayer but rather an invitation to commune with the divine. Using art and words, they offer our minds and hearts fresh thoughts and themes to meditate on, to utter, to believe. This book is an experience, one that will inspire your imagination not just to connect with God but to engage the Creator as the creative being that you are.”—Matthew Paul Turner, author of When God Made You and When I Pray for You Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson believe we pray because we’re human, not because we are religious; that something in our nature
yearns for a personal connection with the Divine. They also believe that, while religious tradition can be helpful, it can be a hindrance at least as often. With
PRAYER: Forty Days of Practice (WaterBrook, 2/5/19), McRoberts and Erickson invite readers to explore a simple and fresh approach to spiritual practice in order to discover (or rediscover) the heart of prayer.
Prayer is truly a piece of art. McRoberts’s poignant and lyrical words paired with Erickson’s beautiful, contemplative imagery move readers toward a more deeply rooted and genuine prayer life. They interweave their words and images with meditations on the essence and nature of prayer, encouraging readers to tune into their own responses, emotions and thoughts as they read. Each of the six, long-form meditations is paired with a suggested practice: journaling, exercise, fasting, meditation, lament and intercession.
Ultimately, McRoberts and Erickson hope
Prayer will stir, inform and inspire readers to join in an intimate and ongoing conversation with the Creator.
“The design of this book is an invitation to stop, listen, hear, see, recognize, and contemplate your life, the lives of those you love, and the presence of God in, through, and around all of it,” McRoberts writes. “It isn’t the format of this book that matters most. What’s happening in you is what matters.”
McRoberts and Erickson first self-published
Prayer through a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, selling almost 15,000 copies before signing with WaterBrook & Multnomah.
For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: JUSTIN MCROBERTS is an author, musician, and retreat leader. He is also the curator and host of The @Sea Podcast. He lives in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children. For more information, visit www.justinmcroberts.com.
SCOTT ERICKSON is a touring painter and performance artist who mixes autobiography, biblical narrative, and aesthetics to create art that speaks to our deepest experiences. Erickson and his wife, Holly, live in Portland with their three children. For more information, visit www.scottericksonart.com.
PRAISE FOR PRAYER
“Just one page of
Prayer could change your life. Deep, beautiful, and centered, this book drives us ever closer to being people who love God and love each other. Justin’s reflections show evidence of someone who has spent a lot of time journeying with Jesus, and Scott’s illustrations are worthy of meditation. This book has helped me move deeper into the presence of God.”
—Matt Mikalatos, author of
Good News for a Change
“In my home we have a special shelf where we keep sacred things of beauty. On the shelf are a few icons, seashells, the Book of Common Prayer, and this book,
Prayer. Each person in my family—from children to adults—sits in quiet wonder as they flip these pages. This meditative and practical book brings together prayer, practices, and visual art to provide a feast for the soul. McRoberts and Erickson have created something beautiful, thoughtful, and mesmerizing.”
—Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the Anglican Church in North America and author of
Liturgy of the Ordinary “Justin and Scott have compiled the most beautiful anthology of prayers and images, interwoven with suggestions for contemplation and spiritual practices. I’ve been using these words and pictures in my own devotional life for a couple of years. They have refreshed and renewed me. This book is a gift.” —Michael Frost, author of
Surprise the World and
Keep Christianity Weird
“With compelling art and thoughtful prose, this little book,
Prayer, delivers big inspiration. In addition to personal stories and practical advice, Scott and Justin offer us a fresh path into daily contemplation that is as simple as it is meaningful. I already know I’ll be coming back to these pages again and again.”
—Jamie Wright, author of
The Very Worst Missionary
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