Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chelsea Woodward, Associate Publicist
cwoodward@penguinrandomhouse.com
(719) 268-1915
Creative Duo Combine Language, Imagery in Artistic Take on the Lord’s Prayer
“This is a must-read! If you want a book to move you, make you think, and profoundly impact you, this book is for you. What Scott and Justin have done is nothing short of bringing beauty and art and words to us in a way we desperately need.” —Jefferson Bethke, best-selling author of Jesus>Religion and Love That Lasts The Lord’s Prayer is perhaps the best-known prayer of all time, spanning centuries, languages and even faith traditions. Justin McRoberts, an author, songwriter and retreat leader, and Scott Erickson, a studio artist and touring painter, believe that this prayer, as well as the spiritual practice of prayer itself, can be for everyone.
Following the rerelease of their first book,
Prayer: Forty Days of Practice, McRoberts and Erickson are inviting readers once again to explore a unique prayer practice in their second book,
MAY IT BE SO: Forty Days with the Lord’s Prayer (9/24/19, WaterBrook).
Much like its predecessor,
May It Be So beautifully pairs McRoberts’ written prayers with Erickson’s contemplative imagery. This new book offers a brand new collection of these prayers woven through McRoberts’ longer meditations on the Lord’s Prayer. For example, for the first phrase “Our Father in Heaven,” the reader is invited to see themselves as part of the family of God.
“Scott and I chose to anchor this book in that prayer because we think Jesus taught it with the same heart and intention we hope emanates from these pages,” writes McRoberts. “…as a way to delve into the vital, substantial, and extant reality that you and I are loved by God and empowered to love others likewise.”
Readers who have enjoyed McRoberts’ and Erickson’s individual creative projects or their first co-created book will also enjoy
May It Be So; as will anyone interested in prayer and spiritual formation overall. This new resource inspires readers to look within and rest in the assurance of God’s presence and love.
The authors can speak to:
- How to recognize our instinctive desire to pray, even if we’re of different faiths or don’t consider ourselves “religious”
- How the Lord’s Prayer points us to the love of God and helps us love others
- How to keep prayer as a practice wherever we are on our spiritual journey
- Using others’ words and art when our own language fails us
- Imagery as its own language, not just an interpretation of words
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 MAY IT BE SO
“In
May It Be So, Justin McRoberts and Scott Erickson persuade us to leave any old narrow or rote version of the Lord’s Prayer and invite us into growth and reassurance through the daily practice of reflection and hope. When we engage with images, we utilize processes in our brain that often lay dormant when we read words alone. When the words and the images interact, a dance between the hemispheres begins, giving us even more understanding, more insight, more sensory experience than if either words or images were on the page alone. The unique integration of words and images in this book beckon us toward a new depth of understanding, causing us to see things in our prayers, in ourselves, and about God that may have been invisible to us before. Sure to transform us, this book and its practices can act as both an anchor and a map, helping us hold fast to what is true, while also giving gentle guidance to move forward.”
—Hillary McBride, therapist, researcher, author, podcaster
“In
May It Be So, Justin and Scott bring fresh perspective to an ancient prayer with honest, heartfelt prose, and simple, elegant illustration. They invite their reader into an unvarnished conversation with the Divine, and for this reader, that conversation was long overdue. This book is a gift.”
—Cameron Dezen Hammon, author of
This Is My Body WHAT READERS ARE SAYING “Breath-giving, nuanced, and filled with hope. Lots of prayer and devotional books leave me feeling stressed and full of "to-do's". This one left me feeling safe, beloved, and with a fresh perspective on prayer.”
—Breanna, Goodreads “This book is a great book for devotional time and quiet time! Deep and extremely thought provoking beyond the few minutes of reading each day. A great example of stepping outside of self into what God truly wants us to see.”
—SandraAnn, Goodreads
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